Last Updated on June 12, 2019 by Morris Green

Cocaine, heroin, and crystal meth are substances that wreak havoc not only on the bodies of those who abuse these drugs but also on the lives of their loved ones.

They are rightly listed as Schedule I drugs, which, in the United States, means they are illegal because of their high potential for abuse, with no medical use, and severe safety concerns. However, there is one substance that anyone above the age of 21 can legally buy from any store, but poses even more danger than these drugs: alcohol.

For all its legality and availability, alcohol is widely considered as the deadliest addictive substance in the world today. It has killed more people than all of the hard drugs mentioned above combined. That’s hardly surprising since alcohol doesn’t just cause life-threatening illnesses like liver disease, cardiovascular disease, pancreatitis, and cancer; it also makes people behave differently, often violently. Many cases of battery, assault, homicide, and murder often involve alcohol use.

Worse, alcohol is one of the biggest culprits in thousands of vehicular accidents. Drunk driving has hurt and killed a lot of people over the years, and is likely to continue doing so with seemingly more people getting behind the wheel with high levels of alcohol in their system.

Here are more facts about drunk driving and some DUI tips as well.

Drunk driving is illegal

Driving under the influence or DUI is a crime in all fifty states, but for some reason, lots of drivers seem to ignore this fact and end up suffering consequences that tend to be harsh especially in certain states. A jail sentence, probation, and fines are what await anyone who gets a DUI conviction.

The severity of the consequences will depend on whether the drunk driver was charged with a misdemeanor or a felony, and to what degree. If someone gets hurt or killed because of a drunk driving accident, expect even harsher punishments to be handed down for the DUI defendant.

Drunk driving can cost a fortune

In the United States alone, drunk driving accidents cost an estimated $52 billion a year. It is not unheard of for drunk drivers to suffer financially before and after a DUI conviction. The litigation costs alone could already burn a hole in your pocket. With a conviction, the heavy fines that will be meted can send a drunk driver to the poorhouse. The jail time a DUI convict has to serve also means he or she won’t be able to work, and the loss of income is going to hit really hard.

A DUI conviction also means you’re going to have a criminal record, which can put a damper on your chances of future employment. Insurance premiums also tend to rise for a driver with a DUI conviction.

A BAC below 0.08% doesn’t mean you won’t be arrested for DUI

Some drunk drivers feel confident that they won’t be arrested for DUI if their blood alcohol concentration is below the usual 0.08% legal limit. They would be very wrong in states like Utah, where the legal limit is 0.05%. There are also zero tolerance laws in states like Arizona that make any amount of alcohol in the system of a driver under the age of 21 punishable. 

One drunk driving death every 50 minutes

In 2016, 29 people died every day in drunk driving-related crashes. That translates to one person dying in a drunk-driving accident every 50 minutes.

Nothing good ever comes out of driving drunk, but if you ever get arrested for DUI, you have to hire an experienced DUI attorney to help you get through your case and get a better chance of changing your life for the better.