No matter how safely you drive, you cannot avoid negligent or dangerous drivers. This is probably an unsettling feeling, especially when you consider that it is not always easy to spot drunk drivers. While you might do your best to distance yourself from another driver who is holding a phone in front of his or her face, identifying a drunk driver is not always obvious.
Drunk drivers are not uncommon, either. The state of Texas has the highest number of deaths associated with drunk driving. Drunk drivers do not have to have dangerously high blood alcohol content levels to be dangerous, either.
The danger on Texas roads
In 2018, 10,511 people died in collisions involving alcohol. Of those deaths, 1,439 took place in Texas. Compare that with the state with the fewest annual deaths that year — only 15 — and it is clear that Texas can be a particularly dangerous place to hit the road.
Of course, many do survive drunk driving accidents. Unfortunately, those who do often suffer serious and life-altering injuries. Spinal cord injuries are the most common type of injury associated with drunk driving.
Does BAC matter?
The legal limit for driving is .08% BAC. However, even small amounts of alcohol can have a big impact on safety. In 2017, drivers with BACs between only .01% and .07% killed more than 1,800 people.
There’s a good chance you encounter intoxicated drivers on a fairly regular basis. There are approximately 300,000 intoxicated drivers on American roads on any given day. Despite the high number of drunk drivers, police only make about 2,800 DUI arrests on a daily basis.
Misconceptions about alcohol usage
Some drivers feel safe behind the wheel even after drinking because they have taken efforts to sober up. No matter what you may have heard, the only thing that can really sober anyone up is time. The average body metabolizes a drink in about one hour. However, drivers often cite doing some of the following to sober themselves up enough to drive:
- Drinking lots of water
- Drinking coffee
- Getting some rest
If a drunk driver caused your accident, you know just how serious the situation is. You might be dealing with severe injuries and hefty medical bills, all on top of missing work and your paycheck. In Texas, victims dealing with similar situations often find that successfully navigating personal injury claims against the drunk drivers who harmed them can help address these costly damages.