Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog
In the state of Florida, and every other state in this country, the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for drivers is .08 percent. One local Ireland government, a government that “legalized” drunk driving, still has a lower allowable BAC for drivers. It’s a shame our government and our drivers just don’t seem to be getting it.
In this particular part of Ireland, drivers are now allowed to exceed the country’s legal BAC limit. The measure was passed by Danny Healy-Rae, a local politician that argued that getting to and from the bar was going to help residents to avoid mental illness. Sounds crazy, right? Well, those drivers who are allowed to get to and from the bar now have to abide by a .07 legal BAC instead of the initial .05 percent, according to International Business Times.
Our Deerfield Beach drunk driving accident lawyers understand that no one should drive after consuming alcohol — no matter how little or how much. How does a government decide how much is too much? The truth of the matter is that every sip of alcohol affects our abilities behind the wheel and increases our risks for an accident.
Blood alcohol levels directly correlate with how many drinks someone has had. BAC is also influenced by a person’s traits. For example, women process their drink differently than men, meaning that alcohol typically affects women more than men. Weight and ethnicity also play a roll in how someone takes alcohol. For example, some people of Asian descent are missing an enzyme that allows them to properly digest alcohol, and therefore have a lower tolerance.
For a number of years, there were states that kept the legal BAC for drivers between .10 and .15. That all started to change in the late 70s thanks to urgency from advocates like Mothers Against Drunk Driving and other groups around the country. There was also assistance from scientific findings that proved drinking alcohol can cause a loss of certain — and much-needed – functions to operate a motor vehicle. Typically, a .08 BAC doesn’t mean that a person isn’t sloppy drink, but it probably means that their reaction abilities have been affected so drastically that they’re likely to get into an accident.
From .00 to .08, your risks for an accident increase gradually. Once you hit .08, your risks skyrocket and you’re highly likely to get into a motor vehicle accident. The risks just aren’t worth it.
You should never get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol. As drunk driving car accidents continue to take the lives of more than 10,000 people every year, we have to remember that these fatalities are completely preventable. Be safe. Be responsible. Be sober.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a drunk driving car accident, contact the South Florida injury attorneys at Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez, LLC for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights. Call 1-800-561-7777.
More Blog Entries:
“Party Princess” Arrested for DUI Manslaughter in South Florida, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident attorney Blog, February 15, 2013
Risks of Drunk Driving Accidents in Lantana and Elsewhere Reduced with more IIDs, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident attorney Blog, June 29, 2012