Murfreesboro Auto Accident Blog

For various reasons, the summer months are especially problematic when it comes to drunk driving charges. Some people get behind the wheel after celebrating a wedding or spending time with their friends and family members at a party, and drunk driving is especially widespread around the Fourth of July. From beach parties to fishing trips, there are many activities that often involve alcohol and some people take to the road even though they are over the legal limit. Unfortunately, this can shatter someone’s summer, as well as their overall life in the coming months and years.

There are many factors you might have to take into consideration if you are pulled over for drunk driving in the summer. For example, you may lose your driving privileges, which can be especially tough if you are a parent and your child is counting on you to take them to events and give them a ride so they can participate in certain activities. These charges can derail plans that people had for the summer, such as a family vacation, and they can give rise to many serious hurdles (financial repercussions, difficulty finding work or the loss of a job and friction among family members).

Every driver, even the most experienced one, is susceptible to mistakes. Human error plays a role in almost every accident, and each person behind the wheel has the obligation to drive safely. Part of this responsibility is a driver acknowledging when he or she is too tired to drive safely. Fatigued driving is exceptionally dangerous.

Most drivers have been behind the wheel while tired at some point. However, you may know that there is a distinct difference between being a little sleepy and dangerously fatigued. One of the dangers of fatigued diving is that people are often unaware of how tired they really are or unaware of how being overly tired can impact their behavior behind the wheel. A sleepy Tennessee driver can exhibit some of the same behaviors as drunk or distracted drivers.

You might not give it a second thought when you take an antihistamine pill before driving to work. However, you may soon find yourself getting drowsy behind the wheel, especially if you are not used to taking this particular medication. Your situation may be further complicated if you doze off while driving and crash or are pulled over for signs of intoxication. You and other Tennessee residents should understand the potential ramifications of taking certain prescription or over-the-counter medications and driving.

The Huffington Post warns that some medications and driving should not go together. You may have a legitimate need for an antihistamine, cold medicine, antidepressant or narcotic painkiller, but these medications can cause impairing effects similar to drunk or drowsy driving. The most common impairments can include the following:

• Sleepiness or confusion
• Jitteriness or difficulty concentrating
• Impaired judgement

Motorcycle riders face challenges in gaining the attention of other drivers. Some motorcyclists believe that if their bikes generate enough noise, such as through loud exhaust pipes, it will be enough to alert nearby Tennessee drivers to their presence. However, as the Huffington Post explains, a loud motorcycle is often insufficient to alert other motorists. There are a number of reasons why motorcyclists should not count on their noise to keep other drivers aware of their presence.

One major problem is that exhaust pipes are directed behind the bike. Motorists behind you are more likely to hear your pipes, but a driver in front of you is not. Unfortunately, this means you cannot count on a driver up ahead to hear you. This can cause all sorts of problems if you assume a forward motorist hears you and you enter that motorist’s blind spot. One wrong turn from that driver can cause a devastating accident.