Happy hour is an important part of some peoples’ day. Especially in Virginia where there are many military bases and armed forces retirees, relaxing over an alcoholic drink is almost a tradition. Unfortunately most people who have these relaxing drinks do not choose to walk home. Once they get into their vehicle and drive away, they may be classified as impaired and thus liable to be arrested for driving under the influence. Read through this article and you will find tips in getting around the costly auto insurance quotes Virginia.
Some of the steps which should be taken by hosts who are serving guests with alcohol include not putting excess alcohol into any mixed drink, serving foods which are high in protein or carbohydrates. These substances help prevent the absorption of the alcohol into the bloodstream, while foods which are high in glucose (sugar) will speed the absorption. Any guest who appears to be drunk should be ‘cut off’ and arrangements should be made to have the person transported home safely by someone else (including a taxi) or the guest should remain at the party venue until sobered up. Finally, any host should cease to serve alcohol several hours before the end of the event. This may not be popular with the heavy drinkers and may encourage them to leave and go elsewhere but will prevent you, as the host, from sharing the responsibility for damage, injury or fatality caused by the exiting drunk driver.
Alcohol is not the only substance which can impair the ability of a driver. Prescription medications, non-prescription drugs, and illegal (street) drugs can all have a significant impact on the concentration abilities of the driver. A user of a hallucinogenic compound such as LSD is not a driver you want to encounter on a roadway. While he is seeing psychedelic patterns in the road line markers, you are seeing a weaving speeding 2 ton weapon aimed at you. Unfortunately medications interact with each other and with alcohol in a manner which may not be predictable. Your age, diet, amount of sleep and other factors will influence whether you would be a safe driver after having consumed your medication. Minor amounts of alcohol can join with medications for depression, diabetes, heart conditions, and other routinely prescribed chemicals and make them work excessively or nullify them out. Many antibiotics are rendered useless if taken with alcohol.
Once drunk or impaired, the driver cannot simply ‘will’ himself sober again. Time must pass for the absorption of the remaining alcohol in the stomach and intestines and to eliminate the amount already carried within the bloodstream. Drinking coffee or caffeinated beverages does not change the fact of drunkenness. It merely focuses the drunken person on the need to become sober and keeps them awake while the time passes.
For driving purposes you don’t have to be an alcoholic to be in trouble if you are caught by law enforcement. The issue not how long or hard you have been drinking but how drunk you are at the moment stopped by the police. One excessive celebration can get you arrested, booked into jail, and facing the full force of the DUI legal procedures. Loss of license and the expenses of bail, attorney’s fees, fines, counseling, risk reduction classed, and reinstatement of license are only part of the concern.
Obtaining insurance for driving after reinstatement is an expensive proposition. Investigation into the various forms of insurance and the auto insurance quotes Virginia can be started by putting your zip code into the box on this page. Competitive rates will be displayed along with the companies which offer them. Each of these disclosures will be additional education for the Virginia driver who wants to be safe and compliant.
