Drunk Driving (2024)

FAQs

Am I drunk enough to drive? ›

If you find yourself falling off your chair, feeling like you're going to fall over, or just bumping into chairs and doors, you've probably been drinking too much to drive. Again, it's probably best to ask a friend or a helpful stranger if they notice you wobbling to get an unbiased perspective.

If you know you will have a few drinks, designate a sober driver for the evening. If someone in your social group doesn't want to do it, try asking them to pool resources for a designated driver service to pick you up or arrange to take public transportation. The same goes if you're heading out on your own.

If you're otherwise not sure if you should be driving, but are experiencing the following symptoms, it's best for everyone for you to call a DD: Slurring speech. Walking erratically. Falling down.

Drinking and driving increases the risk of accidents due to impaired motor skills, less concentration, slow reaction times, decreased vision, and poor judgment. These side effects put the driver, potential passengers, other vehicles, and pedestrians at risk. Accidents involving drunk drivers are often fatal.

Drunk driving has long been considered the biggest threat to drivers on the road, while it remains a common misconception that driving while high is less dangerous. In fact, driving while high can present similar dangers as driving drunk.

Alcohol is a substance that reduces the function of the brain, impairing thinking, reasoning and muscle coordination. All these abilities are essential to operating a vehicle safely. As alcohol levels rise in a person's system, the negative effects on the central nervous system increase.

Be as non-confrontational as possible. Suggest alternate ways of getting to their destination—a cab, rideshare, a sober driver, or public transportation. Remember that the person you are talking to is impaired—talk a bit more slowly and explain things more fully than if you were speaking to a sober person.

Drinking any amount of alcohol before driving increases crash risk among teen drivers. Teen drivers have a much higher risk for being involved in a crash than older drivers at the same blood alcohol concentration (BAC), even at BAC levels below the legal limit for adults ages 21 years and older.

Many, if not most, drunk driving arrests start out as simple automobile stops for bad or erratic driving. Once the officer notices any signs of potential impaired driving, like open containers, the smell of alcohol, or red and glassy eyes, the stop turns into a full-blown OUI investigation.

Is driving drunk worse than driving tired? ›

A recent study conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety concluded drowsy driving could be just as dangerous as drunk or distracted driving. Drowsy driving accounts for 20% of all fatal accidents in the United States annually. That's one in five fatal accidents caused by drowsy driving!

Distracted Driving Accident Statistics vs. Drunk Driving Statistics. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), driving while texting is as much as six times more dangerous than impaired driving.

Alcohol and other impairing drugs reduce the ability to judge distance, speed and the movement of other vehicles. With increasing impairment, you could drift across the centerline, wander from lane to lane, or even run off the roadway.

The Standard 1-Hour per Drink Rule

Usually, you are safe to use the one-hour per drink rule. So, if you have two glasses of wine, you should wait two hours before driving. When you do an hour per drink, your body has time to overcome the other factors listed above, and hopefully, you have a safe enough BAC to drive.

It is illegal for you to drive if you have a BAC of: 0.08% or higher if you are over 21 years old. 0.01% or higher if you are under 21 years old.

Even a Little Alcohol Affects Your Driving

Alcohol starts impacting your driving sooner than you might realize. This subtle impairment is what makes it risky to drive after drinking. You may feel sober, but your ability to judge and coordinate could be impaired.

As you imbibe alcoholic beverages and approach the 0.08% BAC legal driving limit, you may notice that you're less inhibited and more extroverted than normal. If you continue drinking and sail past 0.08% BAC, you may experience dramatic mood swings, slurred speech, and, worst of all, unsound judgment.