There is nothing like sitting down to a mouthwatering home-cooked meal surrounded by your loved ones with a cold beer—or hot cider—in hand. Thanksgiving is the ultimate day for indulging, and for many people, that includes having a few cocktails.
There is nothing wrong with having some drinks alongside your turkey and pecan pie—as long as you do not get behind the wheel when you’re done. Thanksgiving is the deadliest holiday for road travel, and impaired motorists are partially responsible for making it so.
According to Forbes, at least 40 percent of the passengers who died in motor vehicle collisions on Thanksgiving in 2012 were involved in accidents with intoxicated drivers. That means nearly half of the fatalities on that day were entirely preventable.
Sadly, even if you make an effort not to drink and drive, you cannot count on other motorists to do the same; however, you can reduce the risk of getting into a devastating collision by not traveling when drunk drivers are most likely to be out and by keeping your distance should you spot someone who appears to be under the influence.
Of course, these precautionary measures are not foolproof, and the only guaranteed way to avoid a motor vehicle collision is to stay off the roads entirely. If you were hurt in a car accident with a drunk driver despite your best efforts to stay safe, contact Probinsky & Cole.
You may be eligible to pursue compensation for the damages you have incurred including medical bills, lost wages, and even pain and suffering. Call 866-805-8947 to schedule a free case evaluation with an accident lawyer in Bradenton.
How Can You Identify Drunk Drivers?
Police rely on more than 100 visual cues to identify drunk drivers. If you memorize even a small number of these signs of impairment, you can protect yourself and your loved ones when traveling over the holiday weekend.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has divided the signs of impairment into four main categories for easier comprehension. These are:
- Difficulty maintaining the proper lane positioning;
- Difficulty maintaining a steady speed;
- Difficulty following traffic signs or adapting to the changing road conditions; and
- Difficulty judging spatial awareness or responding to roadside hazards in time.
Difficulty maintaining proper lane positioning includes everything from swerving to making turns that are too sharp or too wide. This failure to stay in the proper lane can have devastating consequences. For example, when impaired motorists cross over the centerline, head-on collisions—which are often fatal—can result.
Drunk drivers also struggle to maintain their speed. If you notice another vehicle accelerating or decelerating for no apparent reason, keep your distance, and consider pulling over to a safe place and reporting the car to the local police so they can assess the situation.
Unfortunately, even if you are vigilant about avoiding impaired motorists and you always remain alert when behind the wheel, a vehicle in the hands of a reckless driver can seemingly come out of nowhere. If you were hurt in an accident that was not your fault, contact Probinsky & Cole.
Call 866-805-8947 to schedule a free consultation with an injury attorney in Bradenton. You can learn more about drunk driving accident claims in Florida by visiting drunk-driving-accident.usattorneys.com/florida.
