Drinking and Driving
Here’s a report by the Richmond Police Department which cites an accident caused due to the use of alcohol. “On November 5, 2015, a Richmond woman, namely, Chasity M. Fosnaughwas northbound in the 2300 block of Chester Boulevard at about 12:40 a.m. when she turned left toward the shared entrance of the Shell gas station and McDonald’s restaurant at Horizons Parkway. Her vehicle was struck by a southbound ambulance from Randolph County. Fosnaugh’s SUV spun around and came to a stop facing southbound. The ambulance, which was driven by Brayden L. Fields of Winchester, Ind., veered to the right and struck a Richmond Power & Light pole, snapping it at the base.”
The narrated report, and countless others of this sort, proves that a drunk driver puts not only their own life, but also the lives of all the others that come across, at a risk. Besides the obvious risk of death, drunk driving has several other consequences too. Alcohol affects your brain in such a way that it changes the way you perceive things including your judgment, depth perception as well as essential motor skills required to drive safely.
If the police takes notice of you, you might get charged with a DUI (driving under influence) or DWI (driving while intoxicated). This would be the best case scenario as getting charged for breaking the law would only cost money, or time given they send you to jail, but the worst case scenario would have been you crashing into another car or a person, ruining the lives of both them, and yourself.
Therefore, driving with an unclear head must be avoided at all costs and even in cases of emergency, it is preferable to take a cab if you are even slightly intoxicated.
Driving drunk includes legal consequences too. Since every state has its own laws regarding drunk driving, these consequences vary from state to state but this change still does not stop the results from being considerably devastating.
The Legal Repercussions of Drink and Driving, DUI/DWI
Both the terms, DUI and DWI refer to the act of handling a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs. In most states, both of these terms are interchangeable. In others, they are given different weight.
DWI is the acronym for “Driving while Intoxicated” whereas DUI is the acronym for “Driving under the Influence”. The main difference between these two terms in these particular states is that the DWI is considered a more serious offence.
The penalties that one might face if charged for DUI or DWI are:
- Vehicle getting temporarily impounded
- A fine up to several thousand dollars
- Your car might get an ignition lock installed in it. This lock prevents your car from starting if you have been drinking
- Possible jail time
- Probation
- Your driving license might get suspended.
- The court may decide to forbid you to drive a vehicle for a considerable amount of time
- You might be forced to join community service.
- Apart from all these, you may also get ordered to complete substance abuse classes at your own expense.
During the driving lesson, a good car driving instructor advises his students to drive with a clear head. Not only that, but he also informs his students about the consequences of drunk driving. It is therefore, recommended to join a driving school to learn driving.
