December is National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention month, a time to encourage people to celebrate the holidays safely while also raising awareness about the consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Approximately one in three traffic deaths in the U.S. involve a drunk driver (Source: CDC). In Georgia, about 25% of all fatal crashes are blamed on driving under the influence (Source: Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety). Currently, U.S. drivers have a one in three chance of being in an alcohol-related collision at some point in their lives.
Part of DUI prevention is understanding Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) and how alcohol affects the body. When a person consumes alcohol, his or her body absorbs that alcohol through their stomach wall and small intestine. The alcohol ten passes into the person’s bloodstream where it accumulates until the liver can metabolize it. The weight of alcohol in a certain volume of blood is a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC). This can be measured with a blood test or with a breathalyzer.
In Georgia, it is illegal for a person to operate a vehicle if his or her BAC is 0.08 grams of alcohol per deciliter of blood or higher. This is because 0.08 is considered the point where a person’s crash risk increases significantly. Alcohol reduces a person’s brain functioning by impairing his or her thinking, reasoning, and muscle coordination – all of which are necessary to safely drive a vehicle. The more someone drinks, the higher their BAC rises, and the greater their nervous system is impaired.
Drunk driving is a dangerous crime affecting not only the driver, but also their passengers and all other motorists on the road at that time. Those charged with DUI face charges ranging from misdemeanors and felony offenses, as well as penalties such as license revocation and jail time. If you know someone who has been injured in a collision involving a drunk driver and needs help with their personal injury case, call Atlanta Personal Injury Law Group – Gore LLC today at (404) 436-1529.