A. Less dangerous than sober pedestrians because they are more careful after drinking.
A. Less dangerous than sober pedestrians because they are more careful after drinking.
B. Unlikely to walk near the road and do not require your attention.
C. One of the most common groups involved in road accidents.
On a Thursday to Saturday night the proportion of serious injury arrivals at accident and emergency clinics where alcohol has been a factor increases dramatically. In fact, over 50% of the admissions are due, in some part, to alcohol consumption. This doesn't just include road crashes, but also pedestrians and accidents at home.
Alcohol reduces a person's ability to judge distance and speed, therefore they are more likely to cross a road in front of a moving vehicle.
It reduces a person's ability to balance which means they are more likely to fall, and could fall into the road if they are walking close to the edge of a kerb, or if they stumble as they start to cross.
Many injuries and fatalities have been caused by drunk people falling asleep on the road, where they are next to invisible to approaching traffic.
In extreme drunken cases the person may not even be aware a vehicle is there.
Drunkenness can cause altercations and scuffles that can spill out into the street.
As drunkenness is more likely to occur at night there is the added danger of pedestrians being less visible.