Just about everyone knows how dangerous it is to drink and drive and also knows how illegal it is. However, despite this, there are still some people who will try to say that they can safely drink and drive, contrary the preponderance of evidence showing that they cannot. These people should be aware of the hidden dangers of drinking and driving and what will happen if they are involved in an accident, even one that they did not cause.
THE SCENARIO
Let’s imagine for a moment that an intoxicated individual decides to get behind the wheel and drive. Now let’s assume that this same individual is struck by another car, through no fault of their own. In most cases, assuming that the person escaped without injury and the at-fault driver had insurance, they would have nothing to worry about right? Not so for the drunk driver.
THE LIKELY OUTCOME
Regardless of whether or not the drunk driver was at fault, when the police arrive at the scene if they determine that the drunk driver is indeed inebriated he or she will receive a DUI and face all of the usual consequences associated with that accident. The other driver will probably be ticketed accordingly as well, but very well may end up getting off much more lightly if their traffic violation is fairly routine. But it gets worse for our hypothetical drunk driver.
THE HIDDEN DANGER
The simple fact of the matter is that the drunk driver will almost certainly be viewed as an unreliable, unsympathetic person. That means that if the legitimately at-fault motorist argues that the drunk driver caused the accident, and if there is no clear evidence to the contrary, there’s a good chance the drunk driver will still end up taking the blame. Additionally if the case goes to trial, drunk drivers are notoriously scorned by juries and it will almost certainly be an uphill legal battle every step of the way. The more serious the accident, the higher the stakes will be.
What this ultimately means is that drinking and driving is always a lose-lose situation. In the unlikely event that a drunk driver is involved in an accident that isn’t his or her fault they will still be faced with stiff penalties for the drunk driving itself, face considerable social stigma, and be facing any further legal consequences from a very tough position.
The more typical scenario of course is that the drunk driver misjudges his or her ability to drive and does end up being responsible for an accident. In fact because of the significant degree of judgement impairment that comes along with being intoxicated, there’s a good chance that even if the drunk driver does perceive the accident as being the other driver’s fault, that it is still really his or her own fault.
For all of these reasons it is imperative that people avoid drinking and driving. Remember that you never have control over what other people are doing on the road, but you always have control over your own decisions and actions. Never take the chance and drink and drive; it is just not worth the risk.