After your auto accident, you may step out of your vehicle to exchange contact and insurance information with the other involved driver. But during this exchange, you may pick up on their slurred speech, glazed eyes, and inability to focus on the conversation. Well, these all may be indicators that they are possibly under the influence of drugs or alcohol. For this, please follow along to find out what to do if you believe the at-fault driver is impaired and how a

How do drugs and alcohol impair one’s ability to drive?

Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is illegal and taken as a serious offense for a reason. This is because these substances are known to impair one’s ability to operate a vehicle safely, and thereby place innocent drivers on the road in unnecessarily dangerous situations. Below are specific examples of such impairments they cause:

  • Drugs and alcohol may slow one’s brain speed and reaction time to hazards on the road.
  • Drugs and alcohol may hinder one’s motor skills and make it difficult to steer, brake, etc.
  • Drugs and alcohol may cause one to experience double vision, poor depth perception, etc.
  • Drugs and alcohol may reduce one’s capability to monitor risky behaviors, like speeding.
  • Drugs and alcohol may impede one’s ability to focus on the road and the act of driving.

What should I do if an at-fault driver is impaired by alcohol?

When a law enforcement officer responds to your accident scene, you should immediately inform them of your concerns regarding the other driver’s intoxication. From here, they may conduct a breathalyzer test to measure their blood-alcohol content (BAC) level. Of note, the legal BAC limit to constitute a drunk driving offense is 0.08 percent. However, you must not feel discouraged if the other driver’s BAC level was below 0.08 percent.

This is because Florida law still holds that impairment caused by drugs or alcohol starts even at a BAC level below the legal limit. This is to say that you may still have a valid personal injury claim on your hands. And so, in your claim, you may argue that it was negligent of the other driver to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol or partaking in drugs in the first place.

From here, you may have other supporting evidence of their impaired, reckless driving that ultimately prompted your collision and subsequent injuries and damages. This may be due to dash cam, traffic light camera, or surveillance camera footage of their poor driving in the moments leading up to the accident event. Or, eyewitness testimonies, admissions of fault, etc.

If this blog has deeply resonated with your personal situation and concerns thus far, please reach out to a talented Panama City auto accident attorney for more information. The team at Manuel & Thompson, PA, will be glad to represent you in your upcoming legal case.