What is a buzzed driver, and why could they harm pedestrians?

Everyone knows the dangers of drunk driving. Yet many people believe drivers only become a danger once they have passed the legal threshold, which in most cases is 0.08% blood alcohol content (BAC).

The legal limit is nothing more than a cut-off point. Anyone that tests above it while driving is automatically eligible for a drunk driving charge. It certainly does not mean anyone testing for less alcohol is safe to drive.

Buzzed driving refers to people under the legal limit

Have you ever experienced how the first sip of a drink can go to your head? It’s a frequent feeling on hot days or if you are dehydrated or tired. That lightheaded feeling is what buzzed driving refers to. If you can get that feeling off just one sip, it’s clear that drinking a little more will have even more of an effect on your brain.

Driving requires full focus and for people to be fully alert. Anything that reduces that ability, even by a little bit, makes a crash more likely.

Here is how different BAC percentages affect driving:

• 02%: Become worse at multitasking. Vision deteriorates.
• 05%: Less able to track moving objects, steer or react quickly. Less coordination.
• 08%: Difficulty controlling speed and processing information.

Some people think they are so experienced at drinking that the alcohol no longer affects their driving. While it’s true that some people are more resistant to alcohol than others, that argument is nonsense. Alcohol reduces everyone’s ability to drive, which puts everyone around them in danger, including pedestrians.

If a buzzed driver injures you, seek legal help to get injury compensation.