With the holiday season here, many people across the Trenton area will be celebrating the end of 2020 with a drink or two. It is easy to assume that if your blood alcohol concentration is below the legal limit of 0.08 that you are safe to drive. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even having a BAC below the legal limit can impair your driving abilities, leading to a drunk driving accident.
A BAC of 0.05
Say you only have three standard sized drinks, such as 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine or a 1.5 ounce shot of liquor. At this point, your BAC may only be around 0.05. This is below the legal limit. However, it could still impair your driving abilities. At a BAC of 0.05 you may find your coordination and ability to track moving objects is reduced. Steering your vehicle may become more difficult. It may also become more difficult to quickly respond to emergency situations on the road. It is easy to see how these effects could lead to a car crash.
A BAC of 0.02
But what if you only had two standard sized drinks, and your BAC is only 0.02? Does this really have an affect on your driving abilities? It could. At a BAC of 0.02, you may find it more difficult to track moving objects and you may also find it more difficult to perform two tasks at one time. So, even two drinks may be too many to safely drive.
Seek assistance if you are injured in a drunk driving crash
If you are struck by another driver, you may have legal options even if the driver’s BAC was below 0.08. Any amount of alcohol can impair one’s driving abilities so if you are involved in a drunk driving accident this holiday season, you may want to explore your options for compensation, including pursuing a legal claim if appropriate.