Driving While Impaired

How Substance-Impaired Driving Affects Car Accident Cases and Liability

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Substance-impaired driving is an issue of epidemic proportions in the United States. Whether a driver is impaired by alcohol, illegal drugs, or prescription medications, they put others in grave danger. It’s important to understand the effect substance-impaired driving has on accident rates and accident severity.

If you’ve been injured in an impaired driving accident, you may be wondering if you’re entitled to compensation. Let’s talk—call Reeves & Mestayer at 228-374-5151 to set up a consultation.

Substance-Impaired Driving in Mississippi

Mississippi faces many of the same issues faced by other states. Impaired drivers are growing in numbers but enforcing the laws against substance-impaired driving is difficult. Law enforcement officers can only cover so much ground, so for every impaired driver they catch, several more go free.

In Mississippi, the legal BAC is 0.08%. Commercial drivers can only have a BAC of 0.04% before they are considered impaired. This is a zero-tolerance state for underage drivers, so any BAC above 0.0% for a driver younger than 21 is illegal. Drivers operating a vehicle under the influence of a drug made illegal by the Mississippi Controlled Substances Law can be charged with DUI.

The Dangers of Impaired Driving

Why is impaired driving so dangerous? If you’ve ever met someone who regularly drinks and drives, you’ve likely heard them claim that they are better drivers when they’re impaired, that alcohol barely affects their driving, or that they know their limits. Unfortunately, people tend to overestimate their skills, and that means they continue to put other people in danger. 

Drinking or taking controlled substances can affect your driving in multiple ways:

  • Increased risky behaviors: Impaired drivers tend to have a poor perception of risk, which leads them to engage in risky and outright dangerous behaviors behind the wheel. They may speed, weave in and out of different lanes, and run red lights—all the while thinking they are doing a great job.
  • Longer reaction time: Alcohol and many other substances can dramatically slow down your reaction time. This can have devastating results when you’re driving and you reach an unexpected obstacle. In these situations, every millisecond counts and the delay caused by alcohol or drugs can mean the difference between a near-miss and a fatal crash.
  • Poor decision-making skills: Alcohol and drugs have a profound effect on one’s ability to make good decisions. Impaired drivers tend to have incredibly poor judgment. This is seen from the moment they get behind the wheel and decide to drive while under the influence. It extends throughout the rest of their time driving and can lead to tragic accidents.
  • Inattentive driving: Impairment makes it easier for drivers to get distracted and pay less attention to the road. When you combine this with all of the other effects of alcohol and drugs, it’s obvious how accidents can happen.
  • Severe injuries: Not only does impaired driving make accidents more likely, but it also increases the severity of accidents. These collisions are more likely to result in severe injuries and fatalities.

How Compensation May Be Affected

When a driver is impaired at the time of an accident, it’s often fairly easy for accident victims to establish liability. Obviously, impaired drivers put others in avoidable danger when they drive. From there, it’s not hard to tie their negligence to victims’ injuries and losses.

Victims could be entitled to significant compensation after an impaired driving accident. There’s compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and property damage—but when drunk driving is involved, punitive damages may also be awarded. 

In Mississippi, the court only orders punitive damages when the at-fault party has engaged in such gross negligence that the court considers it egregious. These damages are still paid to the victim, but they are intended to punish the wrongdoer and discourage similar behavior in the future.

Pursue Compensation with Reeves & Mestayer

If you’ve been hurt by an impaired driver, it’s important to fight for the compensation you deserve. That’s where we step in. At Reeves & Mestayer, we fight aggressively to help our clients get the settlement or court award they are owed. Call us at 228-374-5151 or contact us online to schedule a free case evaluation now.