Driving under the influence (DUI) has been the cause of many tragic accidents. After drinking, your judgment will often not be accurate. As little as one drink can cause someone to start feeling intoxicated, which is why law enforcement and other concerned drivers take DUI’s so seriously. After drinking, individuals start to lose inhibitions, see a reduction in their reaction time and have impaired vision. Under these conditions, it is much easier to lose control of a vehicle.
Virginia Law
In Virginia, DUI’s are a class 1 misdemeanor that will additionally impose fines, program completion, and license suspension for drivers who choose to drink and drive. While a BAC of .08% can have drivers pulled over and arrested, violators will additional punishments if their blood alcohol content (BAC) is .15% or higher. Punishments will also be harsher if a minor was a passenger in the car or if it’s a subsequent offense. The long-term legal consequences of a DUI can cause an offender to spend a lot of money, time, and aggravation.
Virginia Statistics
Studies have shown that in Virginia, 100,000 people have admitted to drinking and driving each month. Shockingly, this statistic only includes people who have actually admitted this. Each year, hundreds of people in Virginia pass away due to car accidents caused by drunk drivers while thousands are injured or obtain property damage. As scary as it is to have a teenager behind the wheel, hundreds of those drunk driving injuries happened to teenagers.
DUI Prevention
Whenever you know that you are going to be drinking, make sure you have a backup plan. Have a designated driver, keep your local taxi service in your contacts, and/or have an app service such as Lyft or Uber downloaded onto your cellphone. After taking these precautions, you should never have an excuse to get behind the wheel after drinking even one glass of alcohol.
While out, you might see someone else trying to drive after he or she has clearly had too much to drink. Whenever you see this, you should try to suggest having that person find alternative transportation. Remember to stay calm and reasonable as just like driving skills, people’s social skills will also be reduced and can cause people to react harshly even though you are just trying to help out.
If you someone driving on the road that you suspect has likely been drinking, you should always keep your distance and contact the police. You never know whose life you can save by making a precautionary phone call.
Signs someone has been drinking and driving:
- Swerving in between lanes and the roadways
- Missing stop signs and traffic lights
- Driving too fast or slowly
- Being slow to react to when traffic lights change
Contact Us
At ReidGoodwin, we hope you or a loved one is never injured by a DUI driver. However, if you are injured in an accident due to the intoxication of another driver, we want to help. When you contact our law firm at ReidGoodwin, you can be sure that you will be treated with the care and expertise that you deserve. Contact us at your earliest convenience so we can start caring for you: (804) 415-7800.