There may be few things as harrowing as being involved in a motor vehicle accident. Although you may take every possible measure to stay safe while out navigating California roads, you can only control so much of what happens, and on some level, a portion of your safety rests in the hands of others nearby.
With common issues such as reckless and distracted driving, the concept of relying on others to make sound driving decisions may seem somewhat daunting. The possibility of encountering a drunk driver also remains a looming threat, and impairment takes a toll on various essential driving capabilities.
Influence of impairment
Even a small amount of alcohol can affect your ability to safety operate a motor vehicle in numerous ways. Some examples of how impairment can influence your driving capabilities may include:
- Ability to react: The ability to react to a multitude of potential scenarios in a timely manner is a vital component to safe driving, and the presence of impairment disrupts driver reaction times.
- Impact on motor skills: Impairment can also affect your motor skills, and anything that takes a toll on your coordination may leave you struggling to safely operate a motor vehicle.
- Visibility and tracking: Drunk drivers may also suffer from issues with vision and thus may find it difficult to maintain proper lane control or keep track of nearby vehicles.
- Lack of focus: Those who operate a vehicle while impaired may also struggle to maintain focus and the added threat of distraction only acts to further increase the risks of an accident.
- Distance and speed: Another pressing concern pertains to how such negligence can affect a driver’s ability to judge distances or speeds while navigating through traffic.
The influence of impairment only continues to grow as the level of blood alcohol content increases, and those who exhibit such negligence run the unfortunate risk of causing a major collision.
Knowing your options
Although it may be no secret that driving while under the influence can be exceedingly dangerous, such negligence continues to be a major issue. Should you encounter a drunk driver while out on the open road, you may stand little chance of steering out of harm’s way. While knowing how to spot the presence of impairment could help in certain scenarios, it could also be helpful to seek insight on your available options should a collision involving a drunk driver take place.