As our Delray Beach personal injury lawyers know, most people are familiar with the saying, “don’t drink and drive.” While this is correct when it’s referring to driving while intoxicated, there are benefits to drinking and driving – if what you’re drinking is water.
New research has shown that driving while dehydrated can be treacherous – just as dangerous as driving while drunk. A study conducted in the United Kingdom has revealed that dehydrated drivers make more than twice the amount of driving mistakes as those who are properly hydrated. Meanwhile, the error rate among dehydrated drivers is comparable to the error rate among those who have a BAC of .08 (the legal limit in the U.S.).
But what does dehydration actually do your body? According to the Wall Street Journal, restricting the intake of fluid on long car trips can increase the degree to which you experience inattention and fatigue. Similarly, in a report on the issue by Yahoo, the news outlet made the point that when we are dehydrated, our brain functions naturally become conserved; in other words, dehydration negatively impacts “mental clarity, reaction time, focus, concentration, thinking, and even our mood.” From experience, our Delray Beach personal injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Aronberg & Aronberg know that, especially on a long car trip, a driver must stay attentive and awake in order to make sure they’re driving safety and also to make sure they are driving defensively (i.e., looking out for other dangerous drivers, maintaining a safe distance, and positioning themselves to veer out of the way of danger if need be).
So if a passenger instructs you not to drink water in the car because you might have to stop to pee, you can tell them that not only is drinking water while driving acceptable, it is advisable. (Caffeine, on the other hand, while certainly a promoter of albeit fleeting attentiveness and alertness, is dehydrating and so over time it can do more harm than water in terms of keeping you as a driver awake and alert.)
Our Delray Beach personal injury lawyers frequently represent individuals who have been injured in car accidents caused by the wrongdoing of another. That wrongdoing might come in the form of texting while driving, DUI, etc., or it might come in the form of inattentiveness. Even though a driver might not have intended to hit another vehicle, if they did so in an inattentive state (perhaps one caused by dehydration), they are still liable for the damages they caused if it can be proven that the accident was their fault.
If you have any questions about this or any other personal injury issue, or if you’ve been injured in an auto accident caused by the recklessness or negligence of another, please contact our Delray Beach personal injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Aronberg & Aronberg to schedule a free consultation by calling 561-266-9191 or by emailing us at daronberg@build.simple.biz. We look forward to assisting you!
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