Depending on what you’re drinking, having too much or too little could be risky.
By now just about everyone knows that drinking alcohol before getting behind the wheel is a bad idea. But did you know that it’s not just drinking too much you should worry about? Drinking too little can also present a danger if you become dehydrated. In fact, according to a study published in the Journal of Physiology and Behavior this summer, dehydration may make drivers about as error-prone as they would be if their BAC was over the legal limit.
The small study used to test this hypothesis was conducted in England, at Loughborough University. The researchers had 12 male volunteers do two runs on a driving simulator, once when fully hydrated and once when their fluid intake had been limited to create a state of mild dehydration.
When dehydrated, the drivers made many more mistakes in the course of their 2-hour driving simulator runs. As a group, they made more than twice as many errors when dehydrated (101 errors total) as when well hydrated (47 errors). This result is similar to what you would see when comparing intoxicated drivers with BACs over .08 to sober drivers.
What’s So Bad About Dehydration?
You may be wondering why exactly not drinking enough water can cause an increase in driving errors. Well, the human body requires water for all kinds of important physiological processes, including blood circulation, metabolism, body temperature regulation, detoxification, and brain activity. When the supply of water becomes limited, these processes become impaired. Cognition, alertness, and short term memory can all suffer, with potentially serious consequences for the safety of the driver, their passengers, and all others out on the roads.
Do I Need to Worry About Dehydrated Driving?
Yes, every driver needs to be aware of the dangers of dehydrated driving. The level of dehydration tested in the study was quite mild—comparable to the state a person might find themselves in at the end of a long, busy day or during a major road trip. Considering even mild dehydration can make you twice as prone to driving errors, you really should be alert for this danger and be mindful of your fluid intake. Hopefully this will help you avoid being involved in a car accident.
What If I Do Have a Car Accident?
If you are involved in a car accident and you believe the accident was not entirely your fault, you need to contact an experienced car accident injury attorney like Michael A. Kahn right away. Your attorney will help you secure the evidence needed to determine liability in the accident and advise you of your options for seeking compensation.
For a free consultation with Michael A. Kahn, please call (310) 209-1600 now.
