Posted in Drunk Driving,Personal Injury,Tennessee Accident Law on March 16, 2016
Davidson County Sheriff’s Office to Offer Free Rides on St. Patrick’s Day
In an effort to make the streets of Nashville and its surrounding areas safer, the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office will offer residents free rides home on St. Patrick’s Day—which is Thursday, March 17.
According to a report by WKRN.com, officers with the DCSO will be present at the corner of Second Avenue and Broadway between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. to pick up residents who need safe rides home after celebrating downtown. Officers will also be stationed at the roundabout on Demonbreun Street during the same timeframe.
A spokesperson with the DCSO says that anyone who has been drinking and needs a safe ride home can utilize either of the pick-up locations and get a lift from a police officer with no questions asked. In addition, he also said that all would-be drivers who have consumed alcohol should choose safe rides home on St. Patrick’s Day to avoid potentially causing accidents, whether they use the free ride program, cabs, or designated drivers.
A similar free ride program took place in Nashville in 2015, and 50 volunteers helped give 300 people safe, sober, and free rides home from local restaurants, bars, and parties.
How Does Alcohol Affect Your Ability to Drive at Different Concentrations?
Getting behind the wheel of your vehicle after consuming even a single serving of alcohol can put you at an increased risk of being involved in a car accident. And the more alcohol you consume, the greater its effects on your mental state, fine motor skills, and overall judgment will be.
To learn more about the effects that alcohol has on your ability to be a safe driver at different doses, check out this information from the Centers for Disease Control:
Although a blood alcohol concentration of .02% to .05% is considered under the legal limit in Tennessee, it still has detrimental effects on your driving ability. People with BACs at this level experience a decline in visual function, reduced coordination, lowered alertness, and a lack of inhibition—which may encourage them to engage in risky and aggressive driving behaviors.
People whose BAC is .08% or higher in Tennessee are considered over the legal limit and can be arrested for driving under the influence. BACs at this level cause a wide variety of physical and mental changes, including poor muscular coordination, short-term memory loss, impaired depth perception, and impaired reaction times.
When a driver’s BAC reaches double the legal limit, he or she may appear highly intoxicated and have extreme difficulty operating a vehicle. Some of the effects of high levels of alcohol consumption include a profound loss of balance and coordination, reduced muscular control, impaired fine motor skills, reduced attention span, and increased difficulty in processing important visual and auditory information—including the movements and location of other vehicles.
Drunk and impaired driving is a major safety risk for all drivers in Tennessee and throughout the country. The CDC says that around 30 people die in alcohol-related car accidents every day in the United States, and the total cost of those accidents is around $59 billion. People who are most at-risk of alcohol-related accidents include motorcyclists, young people, and people who had prior convictions of DUI or DWI.
At Matt Hardin Law, our Nashville auto accident attorneys know that driving can already be risky for many people in Tennessee—and the problem is only compounded when alcohol and intoxication are involved.
If you or someone you love was injured in an auto accident caused by a negligent or intoxicated driver, we want to help you recover full compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, vehicle repair costs, and other accident-related expenses. To find out how we can put our two decades of experience to work for your family, dial (615) 200-1111 or complete a free online consultation form.
