If you enjoy the taste of beer, wine or spirits, you may have overindulged at one time or another. While many Americans understand how intoxication feels, frequent drinkers may not realize when they have consumed too much booze to drive safely. Still, tipsy driving typically constitutes drunk driving.
Tipsiness is somewhere in the interstitial space between sobriety and intoxication. According to Liquor Laboratory, it may only take a drink or two for you to feel tipsy. If you do not have much experience with drinking alcohol, though, you should watch for certain signs of tipsiness.
Self-confidence
Alcohol tends to diminish a person’s inhibitions, often causing drinkers to become more self-confident. If you are in a social situation, heightened self-confidence may make you more talkative. Consequently, if you are feeling more gregarious than usual when you are drinking, you may be tipsy.
Risk-taking
It is not uncommon for tipsy individuals to take more risks. These risks may be harmless, such as approaching someone at a bar, or potentially life-threatening, like trying to drive home. Still, because tipsiness comes with slowed motor skills, tipsy drinkers may not be able to pull off the risky tasks they attempt.
Attention span
As individuals drink, they often have shorter attention spans. They also may have difficulty with their short-term memories. While these problems may not matter much in your favorite tavern, they can be catastrophic on the road.
Even if you control how much you drink, you probably have little influence over how other drivers behave. Ultimately, if you suffer an injury in a collision with a tipsy driver, you may have grounds to pursue substantial financial compensation from him or her.
