The United States has over 6.5 million vehicle accidents annually which creates approximately 3 billion in expenses to insurance companies and drivers. A person dies in one of these accidents every twelve minutes. Impaired driving is the main cause of accidents, and the majority of them could easily be prevented.

Distracted, reckless, or drunk driving, as well as speeding and poor weather conditions are the five top reported reasons of accidents. The sad facts are that all of these problems can be prevented except for bad weather. Any time an individual is unable to maintain full focus and control of a vehicle is it considered an impairment. These situations can be the result of a distraction or from drug or alcohol use.

We all have those days when nothing is going according to plan and we are late to an important commitment. When this happens we are more willing to ignore proper driving techniques, exceed the speed limit, and drive more aggressively than we should. The rules that were established to unify the manner in which people drive prevent accidents because everyone knows what they should or should not do, similar to birds in a flock, you don\’t see one that suddenly decides to change course, that would result in disaster.

There are many things that can contribute to a person being unable to focus, including eating or using a cell phone. Cell phones and texting have created such a large problem that laws were made in many states that limit their use while operating a vehicle. Women putting on make-up, a driver reaching for something, reading, talking, eating, or texting divert not only the driver\’s mind but hands from the required attention necessary to drive safely. This greatly increases the risk of an accident either involving the distracted driver or as the catalyst causing an accident as other innocent bystanders try to avoid them.

Drunk or impaired drivers kill and estimated 15,000 people per year. Drugs and alcohol have been shown beyond a doubt to limit the abilities of individuals, this effect can occur even at very low levels. To determine the level of intoxication a scale of blood alcohol content is used, it has been shown that with a minute level of 0.01 a person is already experiencing cognitive problems.

There are laws regarding DUI throughout the entire United States. The BAC, breath alcohol content, level varies in legal limit by the state, but are no less than 0.08. This number is the so called legal limit however individuals begin to feel the effects as low as 0.01.

Extensive studies have shown that people with a BAC between 0.01 and 0.03 act normal, and most cannot tell they have anything to drink. After completing tests, this small amount has been proven to effect both reasoning and visual abilities. The next tier is between 0.03 and 0.06, most times this the \”buzzed\” stage. People feel calm and relaxed, but their ability to focus, reaction time, and coordination skills have begun to lower. They are already a hazard on the road.

A person who has obvious signs of intoxication typically have a BAC of 0.06 to 0.1, they experience visual impairment, decreased reasoning skills and delayed reactions. At 0.11 to 0.2 the person is the definition of drunk, their body movements are now uncoordinated and speech is slurred. When BAC goes beyond this point there is unconsciousness, blackout, and possible death. These are the reasons which make impaired driving the main cause of accidents.

About the author, Impaired Driving Law considered as a criminal assault, hire a DUI lawyer keep a clean criminal record.

Author Bio: Impaired Driving Law considered as a criminal assault, hire a DUI lawyer keep a clean criminal record.

Category: Automotive
Keywords: impaired, driving, insurance, demerit points, DUI