Alcohol affects your body and brain in many ways. And that affects your ability to drive safely.
If someone were to ask you right now why drunk driving was so dangerous, what would you say? Would you say it’s because drunk drivers don’t pay attention, and so they drive into oncoming traffic and cause terrible crashes? Or would you say it’s because drunk drivers often black out behind the wheel, which causes them to crash into trees, ditches, and other people?
Well, if those were your answers, you’d be right of course, but that doesn’t actually begin to cover what the real dangers of drunk driving are. Alcohol affects almost every part of the body and brain. It changes the way you perceive and respond to stimuli, and shuts down necessary functions in the mind, all of which have a huge impact on how you drive. Let’s take a look:
Alcohol affects your judgement
The first part of your body affected by the alcohol you drink, is your brain. And the first aspect of your thought process that gets affected is your judgment. Judgement is what allows you to make good decisions, and think through the consequences of an action before you do it. Alcohol strips you of inhibitions and makes it much harder for you to reason clearly and plan ahead. Planning ahead when you’re driving on our Michigan roads is always a good idea.
Even a BAC of .02 shows an effect on your judgement, so once you’ve passed the legal BAC limit of .08, your judgement is likely to be seriously questionable, and you’re probably going to make choices and decisions you would never have made if you were sober!
Alcohol affects your ability to concentrate!
Concentration is critical to safe driving, and even a small quantity of alcohol can affect your ability to concentrate on multiple tasks at once. Driving requires that you be aware of many things at one time – your speed, your steering wheel position, your instrument panel, your speed, the vehicles around you, the road, and so many other things.
Alcohol affects you ability to focus on many things at once, and instead leaves you concentrating on only one action at a time. Being easily distracted, or having a short attention span can lead to serious collisions! Think about the news reports about traffic fatalities in Michigan. Many of them are caused by alcohol consumption.
Drunk driving charges can complicate your life
Join us next time, as we wrap up this discussion on how alcohol affects you and your ability to drive safely. Until then, if you or a loved one have had an alcohol-induced lapse in judgement, and were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Michigan, you’re going to need help from an experienced drunk driving defense attorney.
At The Kronzek Firm, our skilled DUI defense attorneys have spent decades helping people in Michigan’s lower peninsula fight drunk and drugged driving charges. We fight aggressively to ensure that your rights are protected, and that you get the best possible outcome in your case. So call 866 766 5245 (866 7No Jail) today and get the help you need!
