{"id":977,"date":"2009-10-26T16:11:31","date_gmt":"2009-10-26T15:11:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theinjurylawyers.co.uk\/injury-lawyers-blog\/?p=977"},"modified":"2009-10-26T16:41:12","modified_gmt":"2009-10-26T15:41:12","slug":"causing-car-accidents-under-the-influence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theinjurylawyers.co.uk\/injury-lawyers-blog\/2009\/10\/26\/causing-car-accidents-under-the-influence\/","title":{"rendered":"Causing Car Accidents Under the Influence!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"dont-drink-and-drive\"Unfortunately there are still people out there who take the wrong decision to jump behind the wheel of a motor vehicle whilst under the influence of alcohol or narcotics; and it\u2019s no secret that it\u2019s a major cause of road traffic accidents<\/strong> around the world.<\/p>\n

So what are the rules and legislation regarding being under the influence and on the road? It depends on the circumstances of course, but the gist Section 5 of the Road Traffic Act 1972<\/strong> details clearly that a person found to be under the influence or alcohol or narcotics is guilty of offence (source – opens as a pdf<\/a>).
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And the rules don\u2019t just relate to being under the influence whilst in charge of what you might generally expect to be a motor vehicle; i.e. a car, lorry, motorcycle etc.<\/strong><\/p>\n

BBC News reports of a man in the US found guilty of being under the influence whilst in charge of… well, a chair! (Motorised of course!) (source<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The 62 year old American pleaded guilty last Monday of driving the La \u2013 Z \u2013 Boy (pictured in the source link above) after he smashed in to a parked car following a night at a local bar.<\/p>\n

The report goes on to discuss that the chair, of which the Minnesota authorities impounded following the incident, is to be auctioned on ebay with no reserve price as part of legislation which allows the police to auction off seized vehicles from drink-driving related incidents or even retain them for official use.<\/p>\n

On a side note, if you are interested in the chair, it comes with a stereo, nitrous oxide booster, parachute and a “hell yeah it’s fast” sticker!<\/p>\n

On a serious note, a person under the influence of alcohol or narcotics whilst in charge of a motor vehicle can lead to serious accident<\/strong>; and innocent injured parties have a right to claim for the compensation they deserve!<\/p>\n