Huge Problem Every Year: New Year’s Eve DWIs
Tonight is one of the most exciting and enjoyable holidays of the year. But some people get overly excited about the possibility of a fresh year. The holiday is synonymous with excessive consumption of alcohol. Starting on the weekend and culminating with New Year’s Eve DWIs are common. With all of the parties and events going on all over the Dallas-Fort Worth area tonight, car accidents causing serious personal injuries will increase.
To counter the increase of people who are driving while intoxicated and under the influence, this is a No Refusal Weekend across North Texas. Police departments will be out in force and will draw blood or take suspected drunks to hospitals, even without their consent. Tarrant County is particularly aggressive in pulling over drivers and prosecuting them for DWIs.
Here are safety tips to keep you and the people you love safe tonight.
1. Don’t drink and drive.
Consider staying off of the roads or get home before midnight. But if you are going to drink and perhaps overindulge, use Uber, Lyft, or a designated driver to get back home. Reserve a ride in advance since they will be busy tonight.
Know the legal limit of how much you can drink without being arrested. Texas makes .08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) a crime and .00 for someone less than 21 years old.
It is obviously difficult to know what your BAC is, especially as you get more intoxicated. There are apps that can measure your level, so download one in advance.
| With a BAC of .07 to .09 (almost over or over the legal limit): Vision, steering, reaction time, and changing lanes are altered. Balance, hearing, judgment, memory, and speech are impaired. People overestimate their ability and have feelings of euphoria. | |
| With a BAC of 0.10 – 0.12 (over the limit): People suffer significant impairment to their motor coordination and judgment. Balance, reaction time, vision, speech, and hearing are altered. There is an inability to make clear decisions. | |
| On Insure.com a calculator shows the following BAC estimates (rounded) with these notes:
130 pound female four drinks in one hour .13 170 pound male four drinks in one hour .08 |
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2. If you are hosting a party, don’t over serve your guests, have nonalcoholic beverages and food available, help arrange a ride home or a place to stay.
3. Be extra cautious walking if you are in parking lots or on streets with restaurants and bars like West 7th in Fort Worth or McKinney in Dallas.
4.Use caution around fireworks and fire.
In some good news, at least the predicted ice on Wednesday won’t affect the craziness on the roads tonight.
Contact a Fort Worth personal injury lawyer if you are injured in a car accident
The New Year is a time of celebration. But if you have unfortunately been injured due to a driver’s carelessness or drunkenness then or at any time, you are entitled to get repaid for the losses you have suffered.
Here at Berenson Injury Law, we know after working for over 38 years to help our clients — many injured by drunk drivers — just how devastating car and truck collisions can be. We will investigate your case thoroughly and discuss what we can do to help you in a no charge, no obligation meeting or phone call. Contact us at 1-888-801-8585 or click here.
We wish you a happy and safe New Year!