You do not need to be an expert to understand the danger of driving while drunk. In the USA alone, around every third car crash involves a drunk driver. There are many more risks that one takes while driving without having complete control over mind and body. Here, we will go through a few of them along with the consequences you may face.
1. Risks your Professional Career
These days, multi-national organizations focus too much on background checking, especially for employees who are at key posts in their organizations. Getting caught under the influence of a DUI is enough reasoning for most companies to terminate you from your permanent position. This risk even gets higher if you are a Government employee.
What makes it even more dangerous is the fact that it would also appear on your background checks. Even if you quit drinking and apply to any other organization, they would still be able to see that you were caught in a case of DUI. Even if you get a job, your employers may see you as a person who lacks responsibility and make it harder for you to advance in your career. Therefore, it is like playing with your own lifelong career for the joy of a few minutes.
Some countries also ask for penalties rather than sending you to jail or directly informing your employers. Yet, it will be added to your records and will be accessible to all your employers and also insurance companies.
2. Increases your Insurance Premium
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Insurance is already quite expensive, and no one would like to pay an extra additional amount for the same package. However, if you are cited for driving drunk, it would make a direct impact on your insurance premium fees. To let you know that it would not be a small change but a skyrocketing one. On average, it increases the premium’s cost by 83%.
If you are wondering why this would happen, you should know that insurance gives you packages based on the risk of getting involved in an accident. When you are caught drunk driving, you are also exposed to being at a greater risk of getting into an accident.
This scenario can affect both life and car insurance. In case you ever get convicted of a DUI/DWI, you should contact your insurance company about how it is going to impact your insurance to get a better picture. Companies may also offer some ways to minimize the increase in your premium by attending additional driving courses. These policies may vary, but most of them his as a common practice.
3. Reduced Reaction Speed
Once you are completely drunk, you would have a much lower reaction speed than others. Consequently, it also makes the body’s coordination much weaker. Combining all of this with a single person can make up for a dangerous combination, especially when driving at high speed.
In scenarios where you need to press a quick break, your brain is more than likely to go completely blank and may not even get enough time to make a decision. Even if it makes one, due to poor body coordination, you are still likely to miss the break and end up miserably.
When it comes to DWI, drivers are more likely to make irrational decisions and have poor judgment. They are like a bomb moving on the road, which can blast anywhere. Actually, they are more dangerous for others than themselves, and the risk of getting into an accident increases exponentially at night times. It is due to the blurred vision the driver would have.
4. Having Guilt for a Lifetime
While driving drunk driving, you may not have complete control over your actions and may end up in situations like causing harm or even death to innocent people. It can even be children, women, or anyone.
When a drunk driver comes back to all their senses, it is common for them to feel an overwhelming psychological effect that can even last for a long period. Even if you ever overcome that trauma, you would still have to live with the fact that you caused harm to people or property, which you should not have. According to statistics, around 45% of repeat drunk drivers struggle with a mental illness other than alcohol and drug use.
If you are unable to overcome it at the right time, there is also a slim chance of falling for a mental illness. Once all of this adds up to your mind, your behavior towards your close ones may also change slightly and make a negative impression. For all these reasons, it is not a rare case for drunk drivers to face feel guilty and remorse for something that they did not even have complete control of.
5. Lose your Driving License and go to Jail
Drinking and driving is an illegal activity in almost every country in the world, and getting for such a case can have some serious consequences. Even though the penalties may vary based on the country’s laws, the most common one is to get your driving license suspended for a few months or, in a worst-case scenario, permanently. They may also be asked to substance abuse treatment programs to quit this habit.
If your case also includes death or an injury, you should be ready to spend some months or even years in jail. It would not only make you lose your important years in life but also make a negative impact on your personal relations, careers, and almost everything that you hold dear today.
Conclusion
All of these are a few consequences from many that drunk drivers have to go through. Obviously, no one would want to experience any of these. Therefore, you should highly consider not drinking under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Yet, if you ever get drunk, you should ask a friend to drop you off or use public transport. This will be better not only for you but also for the ones around you.
I am a passionate beer connoisseur with a deep appreciation for the art and science of brewing. With years of experience tasting and evaluating various beers, I love to share my opinions and insights with others and I am always eager to engage in lively discussions about my favorite beverage.
