Dangers of Driving with a Hangover

Drunk driving accidents are a common occurrence in Oregon, and indeed the entire country, and so they garner a great deal of media attention. This is beneficial as it puts eyes on the problem and hopefully shows people the dangers of intoxicated driving. But it can also be misleading to some extent, as drunk driving dangers do not necessarily end once the buzz wears off. Driving while hungover can be just as debilitating to the person seated behind the wheel, and the number of accidents this negligent behavior causes each year is unknown.

Is It Safe to Drive with a Hangover?

Consider what it does to the average person:

• Headache: The exact reasoning behind why hangovers cause headaches is still not 100% known but it is assumed that dehydration caused by alcoholic beverages reduces blood and oxygen flow to your brain. By the time the inebriation falls away, your pain receptors are on full blast and furious at you for drinking so much. Doing anything with a pounding migraine is difficult, so driving safely is not a task you should attempt when hungover.

• Light sensitivity: If you have ever allowed a friend to crash on your couch after a night of partying, you can probably recall them staying there with a pillow over their face for the better part of the next day. They weren’t sleeping that long, they were blocking out the light. Light sensitivity caused by hangovers can make the sun, streetlights, and the headlights of oncoming traffic unbearable, ultimately making the driver shut their eyes for unsafe durations.

• Motion sickness: Even though the immediate ill-effects of intoxication may have worn off by the time you are feeling a hangover, motion sickness may persist for quite some time. Simple turns around corners can cause nausea, so staying within the lines becomes difficult. Just as you should avoid unnecessary driving trips if you have the flu, you should do the same if you are queasy from a hangover.

• Exhaustion: Studies show again and again that driving while exhausted is incredibly dangerous; some researchers even believe that exhaustion is more debilitating than mild intoxication. When someone is hungover, they are undoubtedly feeling fatigued. Hours of sleep can feel like only minutes if you wake up with a hangover, and getting behind the wheel in such a state is objectively unsafe.

If you have been in a car accident that you think was caused by a hungover driver, contact the Law Offices of Timothy Grabe. The driver that struck you might not register any intoxication through official blood alcohol concentration (BAC) testing but that does not mean that we cannot show that their hangover and exhaustion was the leading cause of the collision. Call our firm today at 971-645-7176 to schedule a free consultation with a Portland personal injury attorney who cares about your case and wellbeing on your side.