The decision to get behind the wheel of a car after you have been drinking is always wrong. Unfortunately, DUI lawyers see the devastation that driving while intoxicated causes to families every day. Drunk driving is so common that two out of three people will be in an auto accident that is caused by drunk driving in their lifetime, and more than 25 people die from drunk driving crashes every single day in the United States alone. Perhaps saddest of all is how drunk driving can destroy the lives of innocent kids. If you decide to get behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated, here are some of the things you may do to your kids.
Drunk Driving Can Take Away Your Ability to Be a Role Model
If you kill another driver or passengers in a drunk driving accident, it can be hard to speak from a place of authority when lecturing your kids about safety on the road. Whether you like it or not, kids naturally emulate the things their parents do and say. If you set the standard of behavior at allowing drunk driving as acceptable behavior, you are doing a great disservice to your children.
Drunk Driving Can Take Away Your Ability to Parent Your Kids
If you are in a drunk driving accident, you may easily wind up dead or in jail. If you kill someone while you are driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you may even in end up in jail for decades. You won't be able to parent your children from a jail cell, so they would essentially lose you as a parent, and that would be a tragic loss in their lives. You can never replace your role in your kids' lives.
Drunk Driving Can Take Away Their Very Lives
Worse than losing your ability to parent your kids is the fact that you put their lives at stake when you drive while intoxicated. Drunk driving accidents are common, and even if you would not drive drunk if your kids are in the car, they may be in another car while you are on the road. You could kill your kids or someone else's children. Nothing could ever bring back or compensate for such a tragic loss.
Finally, keep in mind that you may be facing much worse than going to see a DUI lawyer if you drive after you have had one too many drinks. It is not worth the risks that it poses to your children and others. Instead, take the simple step of arranging a ride home through a friend, a ride-sharing app, or a taxi. Drunk driving is never worth the damage it can cause your kids. For more information or if you need help building a DUI case, talk to a lawyer like Winstein, Kavensky & Cunningham, LLC.