Drunk driving is a dangerous decision that can drastically impact the lives of countless people. The consequences of driving drunk can affect the driver, the victims, and their families for the rest of their lives. While this decision is illegal across the country, there are non-selfish reasons someone may make these decisions.
In 2018, nearly one alcohol-related accident happened every 50 minutes. If drunk driving is so dangerous, why do drivers still choose to do it? There are some defenses that the defendant of a drunk driving charge may use in their case.
There was no other option
There can be a situation where there is no better option than for a drunk person to drive. If someone is gravely injured and needs to get to the hospital in a life or death situation, there may be no other choice for a drunk person but to drive.
Self-preservation
If the safety of an intoxicated person is at risk, they may need to drive to protect their life. Getting away from a situation or person that is threatening their life can be a higher priority than finding a sober driver.
Involuntary intoxication
If the driver of the vehicle was not aware that they consumed, they might have begun driving before feeling the effects of what they ingested. An example of this situation would be someone spiking the punch at a party with alcohol.
Mistaken sobriety
Plenty of people drive without believing they are intoxicated at all. The phrase “buzzed driving is drunk driving” is indicative of this situation. Someone driving while not aware of being drunk can also happen by someone quickly drinking a lot of alcohol and immediately driving.
Anything may happen behind the wheel
There is any number of circumstances that may qualify as any of these reasons for drunk driving. When a driver chooses to get behind the wheel, they need to be sure that they are making the right decision.