How often do you share roads with drunk drivers?

Florida is the perfect location for year-round outdoor activities. If you live in the Sunshine State, you might travel by motor vehicle more often than people who live in the northern part of the country, who might encounter a lot of inclement weather during winter months that could impede their ability to travel by car. The more often you get behind the wheel to drive, the greater chance you have of being hit by another vehicle, especially if there are drunk drivers in your midst.

You have no way of knowing what another driver is thinking or what he or she might do at any given moment. This is why it is nearly impossible to tell if a motorist is distracted unless you see someone texting or doing something else that is creating an obvious hazard. Drunk drivers often exhibit certain behaviors, and the better you can recognize signs of potential trouble, the safer you might be.

A mistake many drunk drivers make

If you are ever exiting a Florida parking lot or driving along the highway and you notice another vehicle without headlights in use at night, it is best to try to immediately distance yourself from that driver. In fact, he or she might be drunk. Forgetting to turn headlights on after dusk is one of the most common errors drunk drivers make. 

Alcohol can impair cognitive ability, including depth perception

The way alcohol affects your body might be different than the way it affects another person. However, a common side effect of alcohol consumption is it can impair a drinker’s cognitive abilities. If you see a driver take a bend far too widely, you should be especially alert. It might be a sign of an intoxicated driver. 

People who drive under the influence of alcohol often have trouble navigating turns. It’s common for drunk drivers to turn too widely or too tightly, perhaps clipping a curb or parked vehicle while rounding a bend. 

Traveling at speeds that do not match the traffic pattern

If a drunk driver is in your vicinity on a Florida roadway, you might notice him or her randomly applying brakes, speeding then drastically slowing down, or sitting at a green light far longer than necessary to check if it is safe to proceed. These are all driving behaviors people commonly do when they have consumed alcohol before getting behind the wheel. 

This mistake often causes fatal collisions

When you’re heading in a particular direction on the highway, the last thing you expect to see is another vehicle heading straight for you in the same lane. Wrong-way drivers often cause fatal collisions, and many of them are later found to have been legally intoxicated at the time. 

If a drunk driver causes you personal injury

If you witness another driver acting erratically or unsafe at the wheel, it is always best to try to distance yourself or safely pull off the road to report the license number. It’s not always possible to avoid a collision, however. Someone illegally operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol can cause you severe injuries if a crash occurs. 

Recovering from a motor vehicle collision may not only be physically painful, but you could also face serious financial distress due to medical bills and other issues. You should not have to bear the full burden of such expenses when another person’s negligence was responsible for the physical, emotional or financial damages you suffered. Many recovering accident victims are able to offset financial distress following a collision by filing a personal injury claim in a civil court.