You may have heard that if you have no more than one or two drinks, you should be fine to drive. You may also have heard that having one single drink will actually sharpen your senses and make you a better driver. However, these and many other myths related to drinking and driving are better left to the movies. In reality, if you get stopped after having one drink and the arresting officer determines that you are impaired, you may be charged with a DUI.
What happens to the mind after one drink?
There have been studies that show that even at a blood alcohol level of .02, you may start feeling relaxed, and your ability to track a moving target may be off. If you consume three drinks, you will start to lose coordination. This means that your ability to steer and respond to unpredictable moves by other drivers will be affected, and the result may be an alcohol-related crash.
Reaching the Legal Limit of Alcohol in the Blood
Most states have marked 0.08 as the blood alcohol concentration limit, and women need two drinks to reach it while men may need 4, so you may feel safe driving if you have consumed less. But other factors may impact your BAC test results, such as your weight and whether there is any food in your stomach. If a police officer sees you are swerving between lanes or if you get into an accident, you will get charged with drunk driving.
Failing the Breathalyzer Test
If the police officer that has pulled you over has you taking the breathalyzer and you have consumed a drink immediately before getting in the car, the result may be an inaccurately high reading causing an immediate DUI charge.
The lesson here is that you can never be absolutely confident that nothing will happen when you are driving after having consumed only one drink. You may be involved in an accident or get pulled over and end up with a DUI arrest. The risk is simply not worth it. Opt for using public transportation or waiting until you get home to have that drink.
Have you been in an accident after having only one drink?
By their very definition, accidents are unplanned incidents that happen when you least expect them. And so it can happen that you may find yourself involved in one after having had only one drink. Even if you believe the accident was not your fault, you may find that the police report does not necessarily agree with you or that the insurance company will want to conduct an investigation to determine how much of the damage it will cover.
Or you may be sued by the other party if they believe that they should receive compensation from you or your insurance. And if the case gets to court, they will certainly dig into the role alcohol played in the collision.
After only one drink, you may find that your only option is to hire legal representation to defend your rights. After all, you do not want a DUI on your record. Click this URL to find out the consequences of a DUI and how to fight them.
