Have you ever wondered why drunk drivers who cause serious crashes can walk away from them with only minor injuries while those in the vehicles they hit suffer serious and even fatal injuries? While that’s certainly not always the case, it’s not uncommon.
There’s actually a scientific explanation for this. It involves how the body reacts when danger – in this case, an impending crash – is imminent and something called “deceleration injuries.”
How deceleration injuries occur
If a person who is sober sees that a crash is imminent, their body will reflexively brace for the impact. That means their muscles will become tense. They might turn the steering wheel abruptly or slam on the brakes, for example.
Even if they just completely freeze up, once the vehicle comes to a stop (usually abruptly), their muscles will quickly decelerate with the vehicle. Because their muscles are tense, they have less ability to absorb the energy created by the crash than if they were relaxed. That can cause them to suffer severe injuries.
Meanwhile, the drunk driver may have been completely unaware they were about to crash, so their muscles didn’t tense up. Even if they were aware, their body (including their muscles) would be slower to react than if they were sober.
While they can certainly still suffer serious injuries, they likely won’t suffer deceleration injuries. The same can be true for a driver who is impaired by drugs that have a relaxing effect and slow down reaction time.
What’s important to remember is that while an impaired driver who is responsible for a crash that causes injuries will likely face criminal consequences, they also have civil liability. Injured victims and loved ones of those killed by a drunk driver should seek fair compensation for their economic as well as non-economic losses and damages. Having legal guidance can make a big difference in the amount of compensation they can secure.