Relaxing with friends or colleagues at the local kart circuit over beers and snacks sounds fun and delightful. However, can you drive a go-kart after having a few drinks?
Drunk go-karting is dangerous and invites DUIs because alcohol impairs judgment, reaction times, and physical coordination. You risk other people’s safety while endangering your own, and such reckless behavior remains ill-advised and illegal.
Today, we’ll dive into the threats and dangers of drunk go-karting and learn how it can land you in legal trouble.
10 Reasons Why You Should Not Drive A Go-Kart When Drunk
1. Serious Injury to Yourself
Alcohol slows down your coordination, and you’re more likely to make rash decisions while running laps around the track. Risks of accidents are dangerously high in these conditions.
You may collide with other karts on the track or drive into walls and barriers. Collisions may injure you severely and can even prove fatal in some cases.
2. Cause Serious Injury To Others
The risk of collisions with other karts means you’re also putting fellow drivers’ safety at risk. The track’s staff and technicians simply doing their job around the circuit are also put at risk.
Drunk go-karting may cause karts to spiral out of control, injuring innocent bystanders. Friends and fellow revelers watching you from the stands will also be exposed to harm and collision.
3. Get Arrested
In most states, many DUI laws made for motor vehicles also apply to go-karting. So, you’re subject to the same legal consequences that apply when you drive under the influence.
You’ll face legal punishments if you’re charged with prevailing DUI laws in your state. A fun outing at the track will soon become a night in jail if you don’t heed drunk driving laws for go-karting.
4. Getting Banned From The Track
All tracks and circuits try to ensure people’s safety remains the top priority. So, you may see alcohol restrictions at go-kart tracks and safety regulations that demand responsible driving.
Even if you avoid accidents, intoxicated driving will surely invite penalties or get you banned from the track altogether.
5. Ruin Your Go-Kart
Alcohol weakens your coordination on multiple levels. Even minor accidents and crashes may damage your go-kart severely because they’re not as sturdy as on-road vehicles.
You’ll end up paying for repairs or bearing the cost of a new one if the kart is ruined beyond repair.
6. Dizziness And Lack Of Coordination
Cohesive movement becomes almost impossible when alcohol-impaired. Your motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and control over your limbs are all diminished.
Additional effects will include blurred vision and clumsy movements, which can all lead to accidents and mishaps.
7. Alcohol Impairment
Alcohol can cause temporary impairment that slows down your reaction time and reflexes. Anything you do can feel awkward and ungainly.
With delayed responses and fumbling actions, your go-kart driver faces a much greater risk of smashing into barriers and other karts.
8. Making Bad Decisions
Alcohol also gives you a misplaced sense of bravado and rash behavior. This ill-advised perception mindset may prompt you to try risky maneuvers and reckless steering.
You’re also more likely to engage in rash and negligent behavior like ignoring the road, exceeding speed limits, or failing to see safety barriers.
9. Overconfidence
Overconfidence induced by alcohol can lead you towards foolhardy and irresponsible driving on the track.
You may overestimate your driving skills which will lead to brash and riskier driving compared to sober go-karting.
10. No Focus Or Concentration
With excessive alcohol, your ability to focus also decreases. This lack of concentration may cause you to stray off the course or fall short during sharp turns.
Poor situational awareness means you’re more likely to lose control or botch up your efforts to steer correctly.
Can You Get DUI Penalties Riding A Go-Kart Intoxicated?
Yes. DUI laws across all states use phrases like ‘motor vehicle’ to include any type of car that runs on a motor engine. Go-karts are not cars meant for public roads. But they do run on motor engines and may reasonably come under your state’s DUI laws.
All DUI laws deal with the prevention of collisions, injuries, and fatalities caused by driving after drinking. If the accident or injury has already happened, prevailing laws include punishments and DUI penalties that the offender must undergo or pay.
Drunk go-karting poses the same risks that DUI laws try to prevent on public roads. So, it’s no surprise that similar penalties and restrictions apply to kart tracks as much as highways. Don’t be surprised if you see go-karting accidents being moderated as a criminal offenses because the dangers remain very real and fatal.
The most advisable approach here is to operate go-karts with the same caution as real cars, especially when alcohol is involved.
Recommendations For Responsibly Driving Go-Karts
Similar to general driving or operating machinery, responsible and cautious behavior when go-karting remains crucial for everyone’s safety.
Here are some quick pointers to remember when it comes to karting and alcohol.
- Read and observe all the safety regulations and instructions that go-kart tracks impose.
- Most go-kart circuits maintain a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol use. Many tracks have the license to use breathalyzers if customers appear drunk.
- Dual go-karts can allow a driver and a passenger to ride together. Choose a designated driver who’s sober, and do not allow anyone who has already consumed alcohol to drive. Appoint designated drivers for going to and returning from the track.
- Besides the written regulations, all go-karting tracks encourage responsible behavior and adherence to rules when on the premises. Respect these practices.
- Report any cases where you think the driver has consumed alcohol and poses a risk to other participants and bystanders.
Also Read: How To Brake Properley When Karting
Conclusion
Drunk go-karting poses a grave risk to everyone involved, including innocent spectators. Poor supervision from the track’s staff is no excuse for indulging in such dangerous behavior at any go-kart track.
Responsible driving and correct use of go-karts ensure that you and everyone else around remain safe while enjoying the day out at the track.
Enjoy the thrill of go-karting without mixing it with alcohol, and leave the brew for later in the evening.
