Whether you realize it or not, alcohol is a drug. It is a drug that is commonly the cause of fatal car accidents.
Many people do not tend to categorize alcohol as being a drug, but rather, they call it drinking, boozing, tying one on, three sheets to the wind, blasted or whatever the most recent nicknames for being blotto happen to be. People find it funny to see the antics of drunks, until they also find themselves in an accident involving the same drunk, and they land in hospital with significant injuries or wind up dead. Still think drinking is funny? Think drinking and driving is funny? Likely not, particularly if you are the victim of a drunk driver.
The law in many states is that it is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to buy or drink alcohol. That does not stop teens from getting their hands on booze when they want it. All they do is ask an older “buddy.” It’s bad enough for an adult to get behind the wheel while under the influence, but for a teen, it’s worse, as their body weight and metabolism is not the same as that of an adult. In other words, they get higher faster.
Still don’t think alcohol is a drug? Consider this: alcohol is the by-product of the fermentation of plants, fruits and grains, etc. In actual fact, it is a depressant that works on the central nervous system by slowing it down. Slowing your reflexes down means your response time while driving is seriously affected.
Other things that affect your driving are the blurred vision, a decrease in your coordination and distorted depth perception – meaning you can’t tell for sure where the other car really is. It’s much like the warning stamped on most passenger’s side view mirrors that says: “Warning: objects in mirror may be closer than they appear.”
It is a total no-brainer to think that when your whole body won’t cooperate with you because you’re drunk on a central nervous system depressant, that you can handle a potential lethal weapon on the roads. You can’t and if by chance you do happen to make it home without incident, you can bet that the clock is still ticking for the next time.
One of the many deplorable myths about alcohol is that there are ways of getting sober faster. The truth is that while the cold shower or black coffee may stimulate you for a short while, there is not a darn thing you can do to reduce your blood alcohol concentration. The only thing that does that is time; time for the liver to process it out.
How much time? Typically, for one 12-ounce beer, you’re looking at about and hour and a half. No matter how much you swilled, how well you can hold your liquor or how much you weigh, it all takes the same amount of time to work through your system. While you may think you know better, because at some ages, we all think we know it all, you won’t feel that way if you happen to be in a hospital bed with the prognosis that you may never walk again.
The bottom line here is that no matter what age you are, if you drink and drive you may not only lose your own life, but take that of another. Do you really want to have that on your conscience? DUI or DWI is a crime punishable by law and the penalties can be severe. Can a lawyer help you get out of a DUI charge? Depending on the circumstances, that may be possible. However, that does not fix the problem that caused the whole mess in the first place. Take a look in the mirror at home, because you don’t want to take a look in the mirror in your jail cell.
Robert W. Lee is an Austin personal injury lawyer for The Lee Law Firm. If you need an Austin personal injury lawyer, contact an Austin personal injury attorney from The Lee Law Firm. Visit RWLeelaw.com.
