Picture this: it’s 3:00 a.m., and the bar you have been at all night has just closed. You know you are too drunk to drive home, but a taxi or an Uber will be too expensive. You decide that walking is a better alternative, so you head down the sidewalk and begin on your way.
While you may think that walking while drunk is a safer alternative to driving drunk, studies show that walking drunk can actually put you in great danger. In 2016, over 1,300 of the almost 5,000 pedestrian deaths were caused by car crashes involving an intoxicated pedestrian. Not only will driving drunk put your life at risk but walking drunk also has its own consequences.
Why would alcohol affect walking?
Alcohol affects both the body and the mind. It can confuse your thinking, lower your decision-making skills, and decrease your coordination and reaction time. Walking drunk could cause you to do things that you wouldn’t normally do, such as wander into the middle of a busy street despite oncoming traffic. Knowing a car is coming and stepping out of the way in time while sober may be easy but doing so while heavily intoxicated is a much different story.
Walking while drunk can also increase your chances of getting lost. Because alcohol can confuse your thinking, it is more likely that wandering the streets will put you somewhere far away from home. It is smart to avoid walking the streets when you may not be able to think clearly and take in your surroundings. You don’t want to end up somewhere you aren’t familiar with, especially at night time.
The next time you are coming home from a night out on the town, it may be wise to call a sober friend, bring a designated driver along, or hail a cab. The most important concern is your safety, and you don’t want to risk putting yourself and others in danger.