Is having one drink an accident risk? Could you be facing higher chances of causing a big accident with injuries and possibly even fatalities. While the accident risk might not be as high as in situations in which a driver is legally over the limit, the consequences can be just as grave if an accident does happen.

 

Minimally buzzed drivers can also be at risk of causing a fatal car accident than any sober drivers they collide with, according to research from the University of California, San Diego. UC San Diego sociologist, David Phillip looked at more than 570,000 fatal collisions occurring between 1994 and 2011.

 

They identified the drivers who had even a relatively low blood alcohol content, such as 0.01% are 46% more likely to be completely and officially blamed by the accident investigators than the sober drivers that the vehicle collides with. Low blood alcohol content drivers are often not punished as severely as other drivers with a higher blood alcohol content, however.

 

So far, there has been very little research about dangers of driving with a low blood alcohol content, although more than 100 countries around the world have blood alcohol content level set at 0.05% or lower. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has put together a campaign that buzzed driving is the same as drunk driving. Despite the fact that no thorough academic studies have explored the true dangers of buzzed driving, you should never get behind the wheel when you are drinking.

 

Allowing some time to pass and ensuring that you always have a safe ride home can help to prevent you from having to file a car accident claim or worse, having to deal with significant repercussions of a personal injury claim when you have hurt or killed somebody else.