Being hit by a drunk driver – it’s everyone’s worst nightmare. The thought that someone could so carelessly put your life at risk, just so they didn’t have to pay for a cab, get a rideshare, or use public transportation can be infuriating.

However, if you or someone you love has been injured in an accident with a drunk driver, it can be quite helpful if you decide to file a personal injury suit against them. You can fight for compensation to help you pay for your medical bills, money lost due to missed work, and other types of damages. This is especially true if the police were involved, and they tested and charged the other driver.

How so?

Because the relationship between a high BAC and negligent or reckless driving has been well-documented. Below, we’ll cover just a few facts your New York injury attorney can use to support your case against a drunk driver who hit you.

Visual Decline

Even at a BAC of as little as .02, people don’t see as well when they drink. Specifically, they aren’t as good at tracking moving objects with their eyes – something incredibly important when driving a vehicle.

Difficulty Dividing Attention

Have you ever heard someone tell you they “drive better drunk” because they focus more? Whether or not this is true (research would seem to say no), driving isn’t just about focus, but also paying attention to more than one thing at once, like watching the road while still reading road signs or noticing what other drivers around you are doing. Alcohol reduces the ability to do this.

Reduction in Coordination

Most people know that alcohol impairs coordination. What you might not know is how little you have to drink for this to happen. Tests have shown a noticeable impact at as little as .05 BAC. How is driving coordination harmed? Steering becomes more difficult, and your response to emergency situations slows.

Trouble Concentrating

Remember that person telling you alcohol “helps them focus” while driving? Well, if that is ever really a thing, it stops being one around .08 BAC when our ability to concentrate and focus actually goes down.

Reduction in Perception

Also, at .08 BAC, our perception is noticeably impacted. We are less able to tell how far away other objects are, how fast they’re moving, how fast we’re moving, and so on.

Inability to Process Information

Another issue at .08 BAC (sensing a trend?) is that we become less able to process information in general. In terms of driving, that means missing stop signs, running lights, and not noticing that tree… or car… or pedestrian.

From there, impairment continues to worsen the more alcohol we have in our system. You might have trouble staying in your lane. Or braking effectively. Or just controlling your vehicle in general.

There have even been studies done that show post-alcohol driving (after the alcohol has largely left a person’s system) to be almost as dangerous as drunk driving, which is something to keep in mind if you are hit by a driver after they theoretically “sobered up.”

New York Personal Injury Suits Allow You to Hold Drunk Drivers Accountable

Beyond the potential financial benefit if you are able to win compensation for the damages caused by the drunk driver, DUI accident claims are an important way for New Yorkers to hold drunk drivers accountable.

Everyone knows that drinking and driving is a problem, but far too many people still do it. That has a huge negative impact. In 2016, 28 percent of all traffic-related deaths involved drivers who were impaired by alcohol. No matter how you look at it, that’s too many.

Prosecutors may be able to file criminal charges, but civil court lets you get drunk drivers where it really hurts – their wallet.