LATVIA : Last year, compared to 2021, the number of reported OCTA accidents caused by alcohol intoxication increased by 18% in the insurance company ERGO, while the total amount of compensation for such accidents increased by 35%, reaching almost 155,000 euros. However, it should be taken into account that the consequences of one particularly serious accident caused by drunkenness can cost much more than the total number of accidents reported during the whole year – up to 250,000 euros, according to ERGO data.
The irresponsibility of drunk drivers, which is not really measurable in terms of money, creates a great danger in road traffic every year. The data of the State Police are also alarming – in the first five months of this year, 1,440 drivers were arrested under the influence of alcohol, and 30% of the drunk drivers had a blood alcohol concentration of over 1.5 per thousand, for which criminal liability is provided. A third, or 33%, of drivers who got behind the wheel while intoxicated had no driving license.
“When driving a car under the influence of alcohol, there is an extremely high risk of causing damage not only to your property and that of others, but most importantly to your health and life. Road traffic accidents caused by drunkenness, which in the practice of ERGO’s clients have been the most costly in terms of costs, are also truly tragic from a human point of view, because drivers in these accidents have disabled their co-passengers, friends and relatives sitting next to them. People’s lives are at stake, and the perpetrator must pay for the treatment of the victims for many years, as well as disability and other benefits granted by the state. After one of these accidents, in which the driver violated the permitted driving speed while intoxicated and lost control of the car, making one of the passengers disabled for life, the total amount to be paid will reach almost 250,000 euros,” says Ilze Andersone, Director of the Compensation Regulation Department of ERGO, calling for responsibility towards yourself and others, as well as to prevent your loved ones from sitting behind the wheel while intoxicated, so that the New Year’s Eve celebrations take place without tragic accidents.
When driving while intoxicated, the driver must take into account both the potential penalty and the fact that OCTA compensation for the accident victims will have to be covered from their own funds.
Does not feel distance and speed
Analyzing the OCTA cases reported to ERGO, the most typical violations of drunk drivers that lead to accidents are highlighted. When driving under the influence, drivers very often do not feel the distance and speed of other cars, so they crash into other vehicles from behind at high speed. The highest amount requested by ERGO last year for an accident caused by alcohol intoxication – EUR 30,300 – is related to this situation. Namely, a car whose driver was under the influence of alcohol crashed into a car that was waiting for the green light to turn on at the traffic light.
Also, drunk drivers forget to give way to others, as well as often inspect parked cars, including in parking lots. Other inappropriate maneuvers are also performed while intoxicated, such as sudden, uncontrolled reverse movement, resulting in collisions. Infrastructure is also often damaged – light poles, benches, fences and gates.
Last year, the average claimed amount for accidents caused by alcohol intoxication was 2,666 euros. Large losses are usually not only in cases where there are injured persons, but also when a collision with agricultural machinery occurs while under the influence of alcohol. Then the costs are within 20,000-50,000 euros.
Alcohol and driving are incompatible!
“The biggest problem is that in Latvia it is allowed to get behind the wheel if the alcohol in the blood is up to 0.5 ppm – this is wrong!” Jānis Vanks, head of the “Safe Driving School”, is categorical. “For this reason, people overestimate their abilities and cause trouble. Alcohol is not compatible with driving! The body of the same person may feel and react differently to the same dose of alcohol in different situations. It is impossible to predict. Several additional factors influence this response: fatigue and physical condition. In addition, feeling very tired is equivalent to drinking alcohol: the response is lost and it is possible to fall asleep at the wheel. Even if it seems that “I’ll open the window and somehow drive away”, falling asleep can happen in an instant, so if you feel sleepy while driving, there is only one recommendation – don’t drive!”
Champagne, beer or cognac are equally dangerous
Narcologist, cognitive behavioral therapist Ilze Maksima explains: “Alcohol affects the adaptive mechanisms that determine a person’s judgment: in risky situations, decisions may be inadequate, even if the person does not think so. Alcohol is removed from the body at a constant rate – 0.13-0.14 per thousand per hour. But what we cannot know is how alcohol is absorbed in the body and what its concentration is. It is influenced by a person’s gender, body weight, and the food eaten before drinking alcohol. There are no actions that can accelerate the elimination of alcohol from the body – neither a cold shower, nor swimming, nothing will help. In addition, alcohol affects a person’s functionality. The fact that there is no alcohol in the blood does not mean that a person is not tired under its influence, and fatigue affects both reactivity and decision-making. It should be taken into account that the metabolism after drinking alcohol is intensively occupied with the destruction of the toxic substance in the body.”
The specialist points out that the amount of absolute alcohol is important in all drinks, but what affects the speed of alcohol absorption is carbonic acid gas: “Sparkling drinks, cocktails, beer, cider will be absorbed faster than strong drinks. Although the amount of alcohol in them is less, the effects of alcohol are so rapid that critical judgment is quickly lost. Therefore, the idea of ”drinking a beer and driving” is very risky. The alcohol content in beer may not be high, but the effect and influence can be very noticeable in a short period of time and can significantly affect the ability to drive a car.”
