The Evils of the Big Three of Impaired Driving

Driving is a skill that requires a driver’s full attention and complete ability to safely control the vehicle in order to be able to respond to other factors on the road.
A person’s visual, cognitive and manual ability should be fully engaged when operating a car.

However, there are instances when either one of the above-mentioned abilities are lacking or diminished while operating a vehicle, this is usually called impaired driving. While driving under the influence is the most commonly recognized type of impaired driving, there are also other factor that can cause impaired driving. These are:

• Driving Under the Influence – DUI, as it is more commonly known, is a phrase coined to describe motorists who operate a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or both.

DUI is one of the highest causes of motor vehicle accident deaths, in 2005, as many as 13, 452 were directly reputable killed in an alcohol-related death and in 2008, as much as 35 percent of all fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers were legally drunk (BAC at or above 0.08 percent). Every 45 minutes, a person is killed by a drunk driver.

If you drive under the influence, as your BAC increases above .05 percent, so does your risk of getting involved in a fatal crash. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, drivers with BACs (at or above 0.15 percent) have a very high risk of being or dying in a crash.

• Fatigued Driving – Fatigued or drowsy driving may seem harmless but in truth, this kind of impaired driving is comparable to driving under the influence. In fact, studies show that being awake for more than 20 hours is equal to the impairment of driving with a BAC of 0.08 percent.

Driving while fatigued or drowsy can impair the driver’s judgment, performance and reaction times just like alcohol and drugs. A conservative estimate from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveals that fatigued or drowsy driving causes 100,000 police reported crashes, more than 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries and $12.5 billion in monetary losses every year.

• Old Age or Driving with a Medical Condition – Old age, as well as certain medical conditions like epilepsy, certain sleep disorders, and dementia can be considered as impaired driving.

Senior drivers, despite their experience and maturity at handling a wheel, can be considered impaired drivers because they are likely to have poorer vision or hearing. At their age, they would also have certain medical conditions like hypertension or even arthritis that would impede their driving skills and may sometimes require medication. Some elderly drivers who take multiple prescriptions of medication may also produce the effect of driving under the influence.

It is important to always be physically and mentally fit when driving as navigating through busy streets and sharing the road with other motorists safely is no easy feat. If you are impaired, whether drunk, drowsy, or have a medical condition that would make it unsafe for you to drive, it would be advisable to forego driving. If you get involved in a crash or accident because of your impaired driving, you will likely be held responsible for compensation and damages by the victim.