Buzzed or Drunk Driving

‘Tis the season for holiday parties. Good food, good friends, and good drinks that many times include alcohol. You are probably familiar with the term buzzed driving. Someone consuming alcohol at a bar or party may say they are not drunk but rather “buzzed.” Reality has proven that buzzed driving is drunk driving. When did it become OK to drive with a buzz? Isn’t this just a way to avoid saying “I’m drunk?” If you are the victim of a drunk driving accident, does it make the damage go away if the drunk driver says, “But I was just buzzed!”

Intoxicated, drunk, buzzed, how do you know when the line has been crossed from one to the other? History proves that drinking and driving do not mix. A small amount of alcohol can alter your ability to drive safely. Muscle coordination becomes poor effecting vision, reaction time, hearing , speech, and balance. Consuming alcohol then driving makes it harder to detect danger. Drinking will compromise judgement and self-control, diminish reasoning, and impair memory. The fact is, there is no line between driving intoxicated, drunk, or buzzed.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), every day 28 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes – that’s one person every 52 minutes. In 2019, 10,142 people lost their lives to drunk driving. Of this number, 1,775 of the people killed in an alcohol-related crash, the driver had a blood alcohol (BAC) of .01 to .07 g/dL. What many would consider buzzed driving. It’s illegal in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher, except in Utah where the BAC limit is .05. Whether driving with a BAC of .01, .08 or higher, all alcohol-related deaths are preventable.

If you choose to drink and drive, you could also face charges ranging from misdemeanors to felony offenses. Penalties for impaired driving can include driver’s license revocation, fines, and jail time. It’s also extremely expensive. A first-time offense can cost the driver upwards of $10,000 in fines and legal fees. And this doesn’t include the physical, mental, and financial responsibilities if you cause a crash.

Enjoy the season but please, don’t drink and drive.

We hope you are never the victim of an alcohol related crash, but if you are, call us. (479) 202-5200. There is never any cost to you until we obtain a favorable outcome for you.

Oliver Law Firm is located at 3606 W. Southern Hills Blvd., Suite 200, Rogers, AR  72758.  Exit 81 off Pleasant Grove Road, just west of I-49.