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Four Things You Should Know About Drug-Impaired Driving

Drug-impaired driving is one of the deadliest things you can do in a car.  Whether you’ve been out having a few drinks or took a prescription that is known to cause drowsiness you could be putting yourself at a significantly greater risk of a Connecticut auto accident.  

That is why it is important to know how drugs affect your ability to drive so you can ensure you and your passengers arrive safely to your destination without any injuries or worse.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has put together a helpful guide about drug-impaired driving and how certain drugs affect the way you drive and react to certain things while you’re driving.  Here are four things they have identified as critical to your safety around this topic;

  1. Alcohol, marijuana and other drugs slow your coordination and reaction times.  When driving seconds can matter and even slightly slower reaction time could mean the difference between getting into an accident or not.

  2. Drugs like cocaine and methamphetamines make drivers more aggressive.  Aggressive driving can lead to fatal outcomes.

  3. The use of multiple drugs at the same time (including alcohol) can multiply significantly your impairment and increase the dangers of drug-impaired driving.

  4. Drowsiness is often caused by prescription drugs and those that are sold over-the-counter.  It is critical to read the labels of these drugs before getting behind the wheel and being taken off guard by a sudden feeling of drowsiness from a particular drug you may be taking.

Driving under the influence of any drug can be dangerous and knowing how your body reacts to certain drugs that you put into it can be the difference between arriving at your destination safely, a fender bender, or a fatal injury caused by a Connecticut auto accident.  

When you are drinking alcohol or doing drugs, of any kind, you should always designate a driver that is going to remain sober for the entire evening.  If you do this, you will significantly increase your chances of arriving at your destination safely.

Accidents happen and when drug-impaired driving is involved they are more likely to happen.  If you’ve been injured by a driver who was impaired you may want to speak with an attorney who can review your case.  Contact our office and one of our experienced attorneys will speak with you.