This article is not another one on how to learn basic driving skills. You don’t need to be reading about changing lanes, parallel parking and turn signals. Instead you will be learning about the risks taken when drinking and driving and how drinking even a little before driving can cause major problems. Associations like MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, have been able to make great strides in educating people about driving after drinking. However you should consider how drinking can affect your driving skills.

Just one drink can affect the way you multitask. Multitasking is a hard skill to accomplish even without alcohol and when you are under the influence it can become extremely hard. Some classic TV shows make fun of drunken people messing up as they try to multitask. We lose our ability to function normally when we are drinking and multitasking is a major skill that is affected.

Driving takes a lot of concentration, even for a sober person. One must constantly be watching side mirrors, rearview mirrors, and out the front windshield. Even on country roads where the chance of seeing someone else is small, we are paying attention to the road, our surroundings, and watching for any impending dangers (like animals in or near the road). If we can’t devote our full attention to driving, then driving is impaired.

Really busy roads can be difficult to drive on even without the influence of alcohol. This is because there are many things that can change in a moment. You can never assume what the other drivers on the road will do. The elderly lady beside you can decide to change lanes suddenly or brake a long distance before a stop sign. Other drivers might not be as careful as they should be. Reaction times are slower when you have consumed alcohol. What should be an easy task of navigating through traffic becomes a difficult one when we are slowed down by alcohol and the chances of having an accident increase.

This article just illustrates a few points of how even the smallest amount of alcohol can prevent you from driving safely. Driving under the influence is just not the smartest thing to do. Given the dangers of driving after drinking, it is best to try to take preventive action. Something to think about is choosing a designated driver, or even abstain from alcohol altogether. If you really cannot arrange any alternative you can always just sleep in your car. The sacrifice will be well worth it as your safety and that of others is of paramount importance.

This information is provided solely for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice.

William Bly of Nielsen and Bly is a DUI attorney in Maine whose website has more information available about Maine DUI laws.

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It is an all too common scenario. You and co-workers stop after work for a get together and have a couple drinks, and even though you do not feel impaired when leaving you find yourself being pulled over and charged with DWI ( Driving While Intoxicated). State laws have, with pressure from groups such as MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers), tightened up on the law for DWI offenders with an additional boost to the revenue.

Since drunk drivers cause more of the fatal accidents that happen, states don’t bother to differentiate in their treatment of those who occasionally drink after work and those who are alcoholics and drink a 12-pack every day after work. Regardless of which category you fall into, you will have to pay for an attorney, the same fees, penalties, fines and jail times. This is especially true for first time offenders.

After the BAC was lowered in most states to 0.08%, people who owned bars saw business drastically decline. This is because that level is for most people equal to only two beers in just an hour or less. The legal fees associated with drunk driving can be quite a lot and that is without adding the expenses associated with the mandatory SATOP course. That alone can be a couple hundred dollars and then there is also the required administrative suspending of your driver’s license. This is for a minimum of thirty days and that is only what comes before you have your day in court and are found guilty.

Considering alcohol is legally sold, the penalties are stiffer than some marijuana charges and cost more to defend, especially for a social drinker that happens to have a drink or two, once a year, if they happen to get caught.

This is where the next charge DUI, (Driving Under the Influence) comes in. In most states, this is where the police can tell you have had a drink, but you don’t test out at the .08 blood alcohol content. This charge can occur if they smell it on your breath. In other words, you can take ONE SIP of alcohol, and still have the same expense, suspension and every other hassle that a habitual drinker gets when they get caught.

Thought and risk associated with the new stricter laws makes people withdraw from any social settings such as a simple drink with dinner or stopping for a visit at a bar for a birthday. People are staying home and having a drink rather than risk being caught.

Since it would require someone in the group to drive and thereby not allowing them to party, most drinkers refuse to put this kind of pressure on their friends. They don’t go along with this idea, because they don’t think it is fair for the person who will have to abstain from drinking alcohol. However, if you are a drinker then you will just have to learn to accept this due to the DWI laws in existence.

The standard in the majority of states is a mandatory license suspension, whether you were found guilty or not. If you are reading this it is a good guess your interest is because you have gotten a DWI or DUI, so for starters be prepared to spend a lot of money even if you haven’t been found guilty.

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