According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “approximately 1 in 5 children killed in traffic crashes were passengers in drunk-driving crashes. Fifty-six percent of the time, it was the child’s own driver who was drunk.” This, among other horrifying statistics about the physical, emotional and financial impacts of drunk driving, has spurred the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. The campaign will run in partnership with law enforcement agencies nationwide from August 19 through September 5, 2016 to raise awareness about the crime and its dangers.
Of course, the question is at what point does someone cross the line from enjoying a beer at an afternoon cookout to being too drunk to get behind the wheel? Legally, the answer to this is when their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is more than .08 percent. For the average person, however, knowing the legal limit is not enough information.
The best and safest advice is to always travel with a driver who hasn’t been drinking alcohol at all. Whether you invite a designated driver along to the party or call a cab as the event winds down, riding with someone who has not been drinking at all is the best way to stay safe.
If, however, you have consumed alcoholic beverages and are considering driving yourself, know that the body can typically only process one alcoholic drink per hour. An alcoholic drink is measured as a 12-ounce beer or its equivalent. If you’ve enjoyed more than one drink, you should not drive.
Even with that guideline, however, each person’s body responds to alcohol differently. Factors that contribute to how a person metabolizes alcohol include:
Gender. Men tend to have lower body fat than women, which makes them able to process alcohol more efficiently than women.
Weight. When people are heavier, the alcohol becomes diluted more easily in the blood, making it harder to get drunk.
Age. As you become older, your body becomes less able to process alcohol. This means that as you age, it will take fewer drinks for you to become drunk.
Frequency of alcohol consumption. Those who routinely consume large quantities of alcohol tend to become drunk more slowly than those who don’t.
Amount of food consumed. Having a full stomach can slow down the absorption of alcohol. Of course, eventually, the alcohol will make its way into the bloodstream, so it does not follow that eating will ultimately prevent you from becoming drunk.
Each year, over 10,000 people die from drunk-driving accidents. As summer parties rage on, it is important that we all do our part to spread the word about the dangers of driving drunk. If you suspect that you will be in a situation where alcohol is being served, consider talking with your local Any Lab Test Now facility about their easy breath or saliva tests that measure blood alcohol levels.
