Car Accidents - Driving While Impaired

Drinking and Driving

Every driver and/or owner of a car in Florida needs to know that if you drink alcohol, even a small amount, their possibility of crashing is much larger than if no alcohol was consumed. 

As can be seen in the Florida Driving Handbook published by the Department of Motor Vehicles, Florida believes that no one can drink alcohol and drive safely, even if you have much experience driving over a long period of time. Teenagers are more affected by alcohol because their bodies are still growing and their livers have not matured to the extent that they can effectively process the alcohol in their blood.

Florida has made very serious penalties for drinking alcohol and driving.  In addition to criminal penalties, drunk drivers insurance rates may greatly increase. 

Risks of Drinking and Driving

Florida insurance adjusters and jurors know that alcohol diminishes very necessary skills to operate a motor vehicle safely, such as judgment, responsiveness, eyesight and ability to concentrate. If were are presenting a serious personal injury case where the defendant was drunk, we may ask doctors to testify that alcohol is absorbed into the lining of the stomach and then passes directly into the bloodstream and reaches your brain within minutes after consumption.

Florida courts allow doctors to testify that alcohol affects those areas of your brain that control judgment and skill and is one reason why drinking alcohol is so dangerous; it affects your decision making. A person's judgment is the first thing affected after drinking an alcoholic beverage. Attorney Justin Ziegler may take the drunk driver's deposition, and if he refused a breath test, concentrate on the fact that the drunk driver's judgment was impaired.  We may argue that the defendant's judgment was altered to the extent that he does not know how much he drank.  The drunk driver's testimony generally holds less weight than the non-intoxicated driver.