IMPROV Online Traffic School
Chapter 9: Driving Under The Influence
Which of these would you consider impaired drivers?
- Any driver who has consumed any alcohol or other drug
- Angry drivers
- All of the above
There are physical and mental types of impairment, such as anger, fatigue, or use of alcohol or other drugs. You'll read about all of them during the next two chapters. One facet of impaired driving is driving under the influence of alcohol, other recreational drugs, and/or prescribed medications.
Almost 43,000 people die in this country every year on the roadways driving an automobile.
In 2006 13,470 (32%) of fatalities in this country were alcohol related!
In California, there were 4,236 persons killed in automotive crashes.
NHTSA - Traffic Safety Facts 2006 Alcohol / (NHTSA's 2006 Persons Killed, by State and Highest Blood Alcohol Concentration in Crashes)
A majority of all people who die in alcohol and other drug related crashes in this country are under the age of 35.
Imagine two fully loaded 747s jumbo jets colliding in mid-air, every week. That's how many people die in this country from drinking and driving. It's become so common that most newspapers don't even cover it.
Remember the term "Your car is like a loaded weapon." Would you want to be in the same room with an impaired person playing with a loaded gun?
The amount of alcohol that resides in your system is measured by your Blood Alcohol Concentration or "BAC." The laws of the State of California establish a BAC of .08 as the presumptive limit for driving under the influence for persons 21 years of age or older. In other words, at .08 BAC, you are presumed to be too impaired by the alcohol in your system to drive safely.
California's Zero Tolerance Law
California has a "zero tolerance" law for people under 21 years old. Any driver under 21 years of age who is stopped by law enforcement and has a breath or blood alcohol level of .01 BAC or higher can have their driving privilege suspended. Persons under the age of 21 will be arrested for DUI if they have a BAC of .05% or more.
With a BAC of .01 or more, it is illegal for drivers under 21 years of age to:
- Drive vehicles
- Operate any vessel, aquaplane, water skis, or similar devices. Violators are subject to a fine, jail, and participation in an alcohol education and/or community service program.
With a BAC of .04 or more, it is illegal for drivers 21 years of age and older to:
- Drive a commercial vehicle
- Operate any vessel other than a recreational vehicle
For those of you 21 years of age or older, we want to emphasize again that you are probably not okay to drive even with less than .08 BAC. The American Medical Association says that .03 Blood Alcohol Concentration is the point at which a person is too impaired to drive. That's about a half of one drink to most of us.
How many drinks does it take to give you a BAC of .08?
It varies from person to person, and depends on factors like your body weight, your gender, and the amount of time that passed since you had your last drink. It doesn't take much to reach that presumptive limit. The chances of being involved in a crash rise dramatically after your first drink.
What Happens When You Drink?
When a person drinks an alcoholic beverage, about 20 percent of the alcohol is absorbed in the stomach and about 80 percent is absorbed in the small intestine. How fast the alcohol is absorbed depends upon several things:
- The concentration of alcohol in the beverage - The greater the concentration, the faster the absorption.
- The type of drink - Carbonated beverages tend to speed up the absorption of alcohol.
- Whether the stomach is empty or full - Food slows down alcohol absorption.
After absorption, the alcohol enters the bloodstream and dissolves in the water of the blood. The blood carries the alcohol throughout the body. The alcohol from the blood then enters and dissolves in the water inside each tissue of the body (except fat tissue, as alcohol cannot dissolve in fat). Once inside the tissues, alcohol exerts its effects on the body. The observed effects depend directly on the blood alcohol concentration (BAC), which is related to the amount of alcohol consumed. The BAC can rise significantly within 20 minutes after having a drink.
Once absorbed by the bloodstream, the alcohol leaves the body in three ways:
- The kidneys eliminates 5 percent of alcohol in the urine.
- The lungs exhale 5 percent of alcohol, which can be detected by breathalyzer devices.
- The liver chemically breaks down the remaining alcohol into acetic acid.
- Before you can even feel the effect of the alcohol on your system it is already in the bloodstream. You do not know when you have had too much to drink until it is too late. This is similar to sunburn. By the time you feel it, you're already burned.
If you take a shot of whiskey and hold it on your tongue, that whiskey passes through the walls of your tongue, your esophagus, and then your stomach.
ON AN EMPTY STOMACH, A SHOT OF WHISKEY
IS IN YOUR ARM IN ABOUT 7 SECONDS!
IT TOUCHES EVERY MAJOR PART OF YOUR BODY WITHIN 2 MINUTES.
ALCOHOL IS ONE OF THE FASTEST SUBSTANCES ABSORBED BY THE BODY
After the alcohol circulates through the brain, a small percentage is removed in urine, perspiration and by breathing, while the rest is carried to the liver to be broken down into carbon dioxide and water. The liver can only process 1/3 ounce of alcohol per hour. This is a fixed rate,
So ONLY TIME – not black coffee or a cold shower – will sober up a person who is impaired by alcohol.
That process takes approximately one hour per drink, under ideal circumstances
| 1 Drink | 1 Hour |
| 2 Drinks | 2 Hours |
| 3 Drinks | 3 Hours |
| 4 Drinks | 4 Hours |
| 5 Drinks | 5 Hours |
About 20 percent of alcohol is absorbed through stomach, and most of the rest is absorbed through the small intestine. Alcohol molecules are carried through the bloodstream and come into contact with the cells of virtually all the organs. When someone drinks on an empty stomach, the blood absorbs the alcohol rapidly. The body also absorbs higher concentrations of alcohol, such as mixed drinks or shots, very quickly
MOST PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND THAT ALCOHOL IS A DRUG
Many people don't realize alcohol is a poisonous substance. The American Medical Association classifies it as a poisonous drug. Alcohol, in your body, kills everything it touches. It kills your brain cells, stomach lining, liver, heart and your kidneys. Everything it touches it destroys. A brain surgeon will tell you if you put brain cells and add a droplet of alcohol under a microscope, the alcohol devours the brain cells. Which explains why people act stupid when they're drunk.
You always hear of stories where people had ten drinks at a party and the next morning they got up thinking they were fine. They had a designated driver that got them home. The next morning they get a DWI on their way to work because they still have four or five drinks in their system. Alcohol goes extremely quickly into your blood and is eliminated at one drink per hour.
It is against the law to drive with any drug in your bloodstream that affects your safe driving. While alcohol is the most common drug (legal or illegal) taken, it is against the law when you are driving. This includes over-the-counter and prescribed medications including Xanax, muscle relaxants, cough medicine, or tranquilizers. It impairs your driving ability and is classified as a DUI. By law, all prescription and over-the-counter drugs that can affect your driving must have a warning label on them. Always read the label before taking any medication.
You can even get a DUI for taking cough medicine, because it contains alcohol.
Trivia:
Why do they put alcohol in cough medicine?
Answer: Because it gets into your bloodstream faster.
Synergism
Synergism is what happens when you combine alcohol and other drugs. The combination of alcohol and another drug interacting with each other create a different effect, a synergistic effect.
If you're taking a codeine prescription and drink a beer while the codeine is in your system, the effect will be magnified. The effect is much different than that one beer or one codeine pill separately.
Synergism is like a volcano in your bloodstream. It's very unpredictable. Two people can consume the same amounts of alcohol and another drug, and they will experience very different effects. It even varies widely in the same person from one time to another. If you drink a beer while under the influence of cocaine, marijuana, barbiturates, amphetamines, or just about any prescription drug, you'd experience a synergistic effect.
The next time you mix those same two substances the effect would be very different. You can't predict what will happen, that's what makes it so dangerous. Never mix alcohol and other drugs.
Two aspirins washed down with a glass of wine may have
the same effect as taking a whole bottle of pills.
Two aspirins washed down with a glass of wine may have
Blood Alcohol Concentration Chart
There is no safe way to drive after drinking. Even one drink can make you an unsafe driver. Drinking affects your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC). Remember, in California it's illegal to drive with a blood alcohol level of .08 or greater. Even a BAC below .08% does not mean that it's safe or legal to drive. The chart shows the BAC zones for various numbers of drinks and time periods.
HOW TO USE THESE CHARTS:
Find your weight on the chart. Look at the total number of drinks you have had and compare that to the time shown. You can quickly tell if you are at risk of being arrested. If your BAC level is in the yellow zone, your chances of being involved in a collision are 5 times higher than if you had no drinks, and 25 times higher if your BAC level falls into the Red zone.
Technical Note:
This chart is intended to be a guide and is not legal evidence of the actual blood alcohol concentration. Although it is possible for anyone to exceed the designated limits, the chart has been constructed so that fewer than 5 persons in 100 will exceed these limits when drinking the stated amounts on an empty stomach. Actual values vary by body type, sex, health status and other factors.
BASED ON STATISTICS, BY THE TIME YOU REACH A .08 BAC,
YOU ARE TWENTY-FIVE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE IN A COLLISION.
The American Medical Association says that a BAC of .03 makes a person too impaired to drive a motor vehicle. That's about half a drink.
What represents one drink?
12OZ BEER = 5OZ WINE = 1 1/2 OZ OF 80 PROOF ALCOHOL
Whether you have a beer, a glass of wine, or a shot of hard liquor, the effect will be the same. Each of these constitutes one drink and will impair you about equally. Remember, the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit in California, at which you are presumed impaired, is 0.08.
The effect of alcohol and drugs
If you are a drinker, try this experiment at home. Type a letter or remember a phone list. First do it sober, then try doing it after having one drink. YOU WILL SEE A DIFFERENCE! Alcohol is a powerful depressant. Just one drink will affect your judgment, your thinking, your motor skills, your vision and your reaction time…and your interest in the opposite (or even the same) sex.
The first thing to be affected by alcohol is your judgment.
Both your thinking and your reasoning become impaired. You can tell just by the fact that once you have one drink, you're more likely to have another and then another. You become less likely to consider the consequences of your actions. You underestimate the risks of being on the road, and overestimate your ability to tolerate alcohol.Your judgment is affected and you're less likely to compensate for your other losses, vision and reaction time, by driving more carefully than usual.
After your judgment, the next thing alcohol affects is your reaction time.
Finally, alcohol affects your vision.
It relaxes the muscles that focus and move the eyes, causing your vision to become distorted. Your perception of distance is affected. Not to mention that you can end up going home with a person who looked like a "super model" and then miraculously transformed into a troll.
Can you afford to take the chance?
Although, alcohol maybe the most common drug abused by motorists, there are many other drugs that can affect your ability to drive safely. One example is narcotics, which includes morphine, heroin, and even prescription medications, especially cough syrups with codeine.
A single dose of this kind of drug will affect your reaction time and your vision and can make you drowsy and unable to concentrate. Stimulants, like cocaine and amphetamines, affect your perception, your mood and your attention span, and can make you over-confident and more likely to take risks behind the wheel. They can also make you irritable and easily startled, causing you to make sudden, unpredictable maneuvers. Hallucinogens, like LSD, affect your judgment and distort your perceptions.
There are many prescription drugs that make driving dangerous. Antidepressants often have a sedative effect that greatly decreases your alertness and reaction time. Tranquilizers, like Valium, affect your judgment, vision and hand-eye coordination. Even over-the-counter medications, many cold medicines, allergy medicines and motion sickness drugs, can cause drowsiness, decreased attention span and lower reaction time.
Legal Consequences
California's "Alcohol/Controlled Substance DUI Law" is one of the toughest in the United States. You can be charged with a DUI if you are found to be driving or in actual physical control of a motor vehicle while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage or controlled substance.
Controlled substances include:
- Narcotic drugs
- Barbiturates
- Model glue… yes, good old glue…
- Other stimulants, taken by swallowing, sniffing, smoking, or by injection or any other means.
The following are the consequences you may face if you are convicted of DUI.
Depending on the circumstances you can be charged with either a felony or a misdemeanor. The difference between a misdemeanor and a felony DUI charge is that the felony charge involves an injury or fatality. The terms of probation are mandatory. However, other appropriate terms and conditions may be added at the court's discretion.
Misdemeanor Charges
1st CONVICTION NO PROBATION
| Jail | Minimum of 96 hours to a maximum 6 months |
| Fine | Minimum fine of $390 (plus mandatory penalty assessments) to a maximum of $1,000 fine (plus mandatory assessments) |
| License | Suspended for 6 months CA has increased the mandatory driver's license suspension period to ten months for persons convicted of a first offense of DUI if the individual's blood alcohol concentration level was .20% or greater. |
| Treatment Program |
DMV will not reinstate license until proof of completion of a licensed DUI treatment program |
1st CONVICTION PROBATION
| Option A: | Option B: | ||||||||||||||||||
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Felony
If someone is injured or there is a fatality, the DUI charge is a felony.
| 1st CONVICTION NO PROBATION | 1st CONVICTION PROBATION | ||||||||||||||||
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Misdemeanor Charges - 2nd Offense
2nd CONVICTION NO PROBATION
| Jail | County jail 90 days to a maximum of one year. |
| Fine | Minimum fine of $390 (plus mandatory penalty assessments) to a maximum of $1,000 fine (plus mandatory assessments) |
| License | Suspended for 2 years and not reinstated until proof of financial responsibility shown. |
| Treatment Program |
DMV will not reinstate license until proof of completion of a licensed DUI treatment program |
2nd CONVICTION PROBATION
| Option A: | Option B: | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Felony - 2nd Offense
If someone is injured or there is a fatality, the DUI charge is a felony.
2nd CONVICTION NO PROBATION WITHIN 10 YEARS
| Jail | State prison or county jail for 120 days to a maximum of one year. One additional year for each additional injured victim. Sentence enhancement not to exceed three years |
| Fine | Minimum fine of $390 (plus mandatory penalty assessments) to a maximum of $5,000 fine (plus mandatory assessments). Your vehicle may also be impounded |
| License | Revocation of license for 3 years and not reinstated until proof of financial responsibility shown |
| Treatment Program |
DMV will not reinstate license until proof of completion of a licensed DUI treatment program |
2ND CONVICTION PROBATION WITHIN 10 YEARS
| Option A: | Option B: | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Misdemeanor Charges - 3rd Offense
| 3rd CONVICTION NO PROBATION | 3rd CONVICTION PROBATION | ||||||||||||||||||
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Felony - 3rd Offense
If someone is injured or there is a fatality, the DUI charge is a felony.
| 3rd CONVICTION NO PROBATION WITHIN 10 YEARS |
3rd CONVICTION PROBATION WITHIN 10 YEARS | ||||||||||||||||
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Misdemeanor Charges - 4 or More Offenses
| 4th CONVICTION OR MORE NO PROBATION |
4th CONVICTION OR MORE PROBATION | ||||||||||||||||||
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Recent Update to DUI Laws
DUI - YOU CAN BE CHARGED WITH MURDER - July 1, 2008
Vehicle Code §13385
- Requires an applicant as a condition of obtaining or renewing a driver's license to sign a declaration acknowledging that a driver may be charged with murder if a person is killed as a result of driving under the influence.
Driving Under the Influence Repeated Offense / Prior DUI - January 1, 2009
- Makes it unlawful for a person who is on probation for a driving-under-the-influence offense to operate a motor vehicle at any time with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.01 percent or greater. Which means you can't have even one drink before driving.
- Imposes an admin per se driver license suspension on persons found to violate this prohibition — YOUR LICENSE WILL BE SUSPENDED IF YOU ARE STOPPED AND TESTED. You can't refuse a test as you automatically are deemed to have given your consent to a preliminary alcohol/drug screening test under Section 32152 or 23153 of the California Vehicle Code. If you refuse a screening test, your license will be suspended for a period of one to three years.
Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Statement:
The court will be required to advise a person convicted of a DUI violation of the dangers of being under the influence; that if someone is killed, the offender could be charged with murder. This establishes grounds for more severe penalties if the same offender is convicted of subsequent DUI offenses.
DUI Sanction
The time period during which arrests and/or convictions of DUI violations will be counted as prior offenses for the purposes of increased driver license penalties will increase to ten years (from seven).
By law, the court will be required to order a person convicted of a prior DUI to complete an alcohol and drug problem assessment program, even though that prior conviction occurred more than ten years ago. The court will also be authorized to order the person to complete a repeat offender treatment program. Court-ordered participation in a county alcohol and drug problem assessment program is expanded to all persons convicted of a second or subsequent DUI offense that occurred within ten years of a prior offense.
DUI License Restriction:
Providers of alcohol treatment programs are required to send attendance and completion certificates directly to DMV's Sacramento Headquarters and are prohibited from giving certificates to drivers.
DUI Driver License Sanctions:
Sanctions resulting from DUI convictions will no longer be imposed by the courts; instead the DMV will have sole responsibility. This change ensures that all persons convicted of a DUI will receive a restriction, suspension, or revocation of their driving privilege, without exception.
Ignition Interlock
An ignition interlock device (IID) is a hand-held breath testing device which is connected to the vehicle and requires the driver to take a breath test for alcohol each time the vehicle is started.
Courts:
- Are required to order ID restriction on any person convicted of driving on a suspended or revoked license based on DUI.
- May order ID on any DUI conviction.
Any person whose driving privilege is revoked for multiple DUI offenses may apply for a restricted license after serving a specific period of the revocation, provided the person complies with certain requirements.
The ID restriction will be in effect for the rest of the original suspension or revocation period and until all reinstatement requirements are met.
Any time an impaired driver is involved in a collision in California where a person is injured or dies, the driver may be punished under the "Three Strikes Law." You could also face a civil lawsuit.
The law is very strict about carrying alcohol in a vehicle whether the vehicle is on or off the highway. You cannot drink any alcoholic drink in any vehicle.
A container of liquor, beer, or wine carried inside the vehicle must be full, sealed and unopened. Otherwise, it must be put in the trunk or a place where passengers don't sit. Keeping an open container of alcohol in the glove compartment is against the law.
California's Administrative Per Se Law
Whenever you drive, you give your consent to take a test of breath, blood or urine if you are stopped and suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or other drugs. Under the Administrative Per Se Law, if you are involved in a collision resulting in severe injury or death, you may be administered a blood test against your will.
Penalties for refusing or failing to complete a chemical test are as follows. Remember too that if ultimately you are found guilty of driving under the influence, additional penalties will be levied beyond those listed below.
- 1 Year Suspension for your first violation.
- 2 Year Revocation if the refusal occurred within 10 years of certain other offenses such as a separate violation of:
- reckless driving
- underage BAC of 0.05 or more (under 21)
- DUI with a BAC of 0.08 or more (21 or over)
- DUI of Alcohol or Drugs Causing Injury
- 3 Year Revocation if the refusal occurred within 10 years of any of the following:
- 2 or more separate violations of reckless driving
- 2 or more suspensions or revocations related to test refusal
- Any combination of 2 or more of those convictions or administrative suspensions or revocations.
Financial Consequences of DUI, Personal and Societal
PERFECT NIGHT ON THE TOWN
Here are some ideas of the perfect night on the town, with approximate total cost.
EXAMPLE:
Some people would like a simple night at the movies and a late night snack afterwards.
MOVIE TICKETS | $18.00 |
POPCORN/CANDY | $12.00 |
SODA | $11.00 |
FUEL/CAR COSTS | $ 5.00 |
COFFEE/DESSERT | $10.00 |
GRAND TOTAL | $56.00 |
VIP NIGHT
RENT A LIMO | $250.00 |
ROMANTIC DINNER | $120.00 |
CONCERT TICKETS | $150.00 |
GRAND TOTAL | $520.00 |
Here is an alternative "Low Budget" route. Go to a convenience store buy a six pack of beer and drink it in the car. Get pulled over while driving to the movies.
SO LET'S LOOK AT THE SAVINGS:
BEER | $3.00 |
Getting Arrested for DUI |
|
FINES | $500.00 |
CHARGES | $1,200.00 |
INSURANCE PREMIUMS INCREASED | $3,000.00 |
ATTORNEY | $1,500.00 |
DWI SCHOOL | $400.00 |
TIME LOST FROM WORK | $500.00 |
GRAND TOTAL | $7,103.00 |
"VIP" vs "BUDGET" SAVINGS | $6,583.00 |
Even the VIP package looks like a bargain now!
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that every injury in an alcohol-related crash costs an average of $99,000. That's $49,000 in monetary costs and $50,000 from loss of quality of life. The average cost of a fatality from an alcohol-related crash is $3.5 million: $1.1 million in monetary costs and $2.4 million in quality of life losses.
COSTS OF AN INJURY IN AN ALCOHOL RELATED CRASH
MONETARY COSTS | $49,000 |
LOSS OF QUALITY OF LIFE | $50,000 |
TOTAL COSTS | $99,000 |
COSTS OF A FATALITY IN AN ALCOHOL RELATED CRASH
MONETARY COSTS | $1,100,000 |
LOSS OF QUALITY OF LIFE | $2,400,000 |
TOTAL COSTS | $3,500,000 |
That number reflects all persons—impaired drivers as well as innocent people—who are involved in a crash and are killed, or seriously injured. It also reflects the suffering of their families. Obviously, impaired driving affects not just the violator, but everyone else involved. In fact, over half of that $114 billion cost is paid for by people other than the impaired driver. And almost 20% of all U.S. auto insurance payments are a result of DUIs.
Each year alcohol-related crashes cost the American public over $114 billion.
About a third of that is monetary costs, and
the other two-thirds is quality of life losses.
The first thing a police officer looks for in an impaired driver is weaving within the lane, not lane to lane. A person who is impaired will be weaving within the lane or driving too slow; stopping too far from the stop sign; might have the window down on a cold night because the alcohol makes them hot; or might be vomiting outside the car.
If you are pulled over, the police officer will start their assessment by asking you some simple questions like:
- Have you had anything to drink tonight?
- How many drinks did you have?
- Where are you coming from?
- They ask you to step out of the car and do these simple tasks, which is not so simple if you're impaired.
Remember the part where we talked about impaired judgment? They are trained to look for clues and if you are under the influence these clues will be obvious.
THEY MAY ASK YOU TO:
- Recite the alphabet without singing. Try reciting the ABC's without singing them. You can't!
- Count backwards from 80 to 60. People have a tendency to get stuck on a number if they're impaired. An hour later in the police car, they're still counting "59…59…56 no, not let me start over…"
- Close your eyes and stand on one leg 8 to 10 inches off the ground. This is very hard to do if you've been drinking.
- Close your eyes and touch your index finger to your nose. If you're impaired, you miss and hit yourself all over your face.
- Walk a straight line. They will give you instructions that are hard to comprehend when you're impaired. They'll say, "Walk 10 steps forward and five steps to the left." Impaired people walk five forward and three to the right. Or they will say "What? 6 forward and 4 to the left?" And, if they're really impaired that night, they will move 10 steps forward and start to run.
- Sometimes police will ask you questions to see how you answer them. Whater you answer, don't answer like one of our students, who said "Officer, I can't do this even when I am sober."
People will always ask how many drinks it takes to reach the presumptive limit.
One Drink Is Too Much If You're Driving
What if I go to a party? Can I ever have a drink? The answer is yes, you can have a drink. If you are an adult over 21 years of age you have a right to have a drink or even two or three. Just be responsible and have an alternative plan:
- Limit to 1 drink an hour, so if you are at the party for 3 hours you can have 2-3 drinks at the beginning and be fine by the time you need to drive back.
- Make plans with a designated driver… also there are many organizations (some are free) that provide designated drivers.
- Take a cab … (much cheaper than a DUI)
If you want to participate in a Designated Driver Program, an individual:
- Should be at least 21 years of age and must possess a valid driver license.
- Must be part of a group of two or more persons and verbally identify yourself as the designated driver to the server.
- Must abstain from consuming alcoholic beverages for the duration of the outing.
- Must not be an otherwise impaired driver.
- Must understand that management reserves the right to refuse service to anyone at anytime.
Your Responsibility as a Host
If you're the host of a party, it's your responsibility to ensure that anyone who's been drinking doesn't drive. Here are some suggestions on how to keep people from leaving your party too impaired to drive. First take their keys at the door as they arrive to the party. Under no circumstances do you give the keys back if the person has been drinking.
The host of a party should do everything possible to make sure the guests drink responsibly. You will know the people who shouldn't be given their keys back, the ones who say, "Really, I'm okay to drive. Just help me get to the car and put me behind the wheel."
The good news is there has been a gradual decline in the number of DUI deaths over the last several years. … We guess the message is getting heard…"ITS JUST NOT WORTH IT!!!"
The Facts*
- In 2006, 32% of fatal crashes involved alcohol.
- The 13,470 fatalities in alcohol-related crashes during 2006 represent an average of one alcohol-related fatality every 39 minutes.
- An estimated 254,000 persons were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present. An average of one person was injured approximately every 2 minutes.
- The rate of alcohol involvement in fatal crashes is more than 4 times as high at night as during the day (36% vs. 9%).
- Alcohol is involved in more than 60% of fatal crashes for drivers under the age of 21.
- Between 10:00PM and Midnight, 1 out of 10 drivers are impaired.
- Between Midnight and 3:00AM, 1 out of 3 drivers are impaired.
- When your BAC level is .08 - .10, the hazard of having a serious collision is six times greater.
- When your BAC level is .11 - .15, the hazard of having a serious collision is 25 times greater.
- 82% of impaired drivers are problem drinkers.
- Every year alcohol-related collisions cost the American public $100 billion.
- Nearly 20% of all U.S. auto insurance payments are the result of DUI.
- If convicted of a first-time DUI offense in California, you can expect to face a minimum total cost of $12,116.
…Pretty sobering isn't it?
* Sources:
NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts 2006
NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts 2006 - Alcohol
Automobile Club of Southern California
Let's Review
- Alcohol is a poisonous drug and a depressant.
- BAC means Blood Alcohol Concentration (the maximum in California is .08 if you are over 21).
- Prescription drugs may be illegal while driving.
- Even one drink may impair your driving.
- If you had too much to drink at night, you still may be affected in the morning.
- It takes one hour for each drink to leave your body (coffee, shower… don't help).
- Alcohol affects both your mental and physical condition.
- Zero Tolerance applies to minors and commercial drivers.
- Synergism can occur when alcohol is mixed with other substances, and can be deadly.
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