Most responsible adults understand that getting behind the wheel after a night of drinking is a universally bad idea. Spending the night on a friend’s couch is much preferable over attempting that dangerous drive home while under the influence of alcohol.
But when they wake up the following morning on that couch — hungover, still wearing the clothes they went out in the night before and perhaps even late for work — few realize the dangers they pose when they hurriedly drive away.
Morning-after drunk driving is just as deadly
If the person driving the car in the lane beside you drank 10 beers or cocktails between the hours of 8 p.m. and closing time at 2 a.m. the night before, then slept on a friend’s couch from 3 to 7 a.m., that mere four hours of sleep is insufficient to sober them up enough to attempt the drive home or elsewhere when they arise.
While you’re gulping coffee down during your morning commute, the person in the vehicle beside you may still be quite drunk and capable of causing a terrible accident. Even if they are no longer intoxicated, simply being extremely hungover can have adverse effects on their driving abilities.
Were you injured by a morning-after drunken driver?
Police may be less likely to suspect a motorist of intoxication in the early morning when people typically are hustling to get to their jobs or the kids off to school. If the still-drunk driver managed to shower and brush their teeth, some of the tell-tale signs of drunken driving may be masked.
But what is clear is that their negligence caused your injuries and damages. Filing a claim to cover your losses can help you get the relief you need to cope with the aftermath of an accident.
