The Dangers of Drinking and Driving

Both the influential study by Borkenstein, et al. and the empirical German data on the 1990s demonstrated that the risk of collisions is lower or the same for drivers with a BAC of 0.04% or less than for drivers with a BAC of 0%. The 0.05% BAC limit in Germany (since 1998, 0.08% since 1973) and the limits in many other countries were set based on the study by Borkenstein, et al. Würzburg University researchers showed that all extra collisions caused by alcohol were due to at least 0.06% BAC, 96% of them due to BAC above 0.08%, and 79% due to BAC above 0.12%. In their study based on the 1990s German data, the effect of alcohol was higher for almost all BAC levels than in Borkenstein, et al. Driving under the influence is one of the largest risk factors that contribute to traffic collisions. For people in Europe between the age of 15 and 29, driving under the influence is one of the main causes of mortality.

Because most drivers in alcohol–related fatal crashes have not recently been convicted for drinking and driving, efforts to screen, diagnose, and treat alcohol problems outside the criminal justice system are also needed. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials to reduce alcohol dependence and abuse among the general population (Dinh–Zarr et al. 1999) has found beneficial effects in reducing not only alcohol consumption but also drinking and driving offenses. The average recidivism rate among those who did not receive treatment was 19 percent over a 2–year period. Treatment strategies that combined punishment, education, and therapy with followup monitoring and aftercare were more effective than any single approach for first–time and repeat offenders (Wells–Parker et al. 1995). In the United States, roughly 28 people die every day in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver.

How Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) Levels Affect Driving

Consequently, some officers systematically fail to arrest impaired drivers because they are only searching for the most impaired. In the same study, 25 percent of fatal motorcycle accidents involved drivers who were over the legal alcohol limit. According to psycom.net, Every state in the U.S. has adopted.08% blood alcohol concentration as the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle for adults 21 and over. If you’re under 21, you can’t drive with any level of alcohol in your system.

This often affects college students and young professionals who attend parties and other social events that have easy access to alcohol. Males are more likely than females to be involved in alcohol–related consequences of drinking and driving fatal crashes. In 2002, 78 percent of people killed in alcohol–related crashes were male. Forty–six percent of male traffic deaths are alcohol related, compared with 29 percent of female traffic deaths.

Impaired Driving Law

Thirteen percent of the respondents were diagnosed as having been alcohol dependent at some point in their lives. This group represented 65 percent of those who had ever been in a motor vehicle crash because of having too much to drink (based on self–report) and 72 percent of those who had been in alcohol–related crashes during the year prior to the interview. Clearly, people who meet established alcohol dependence criteria are https://ecosoberhouse.com/ disproportionately involved in alcohol–related motor vehicle crashes, accounting for approximately two–thirds of motor vehicle crashes involving alcohol (Hingson et al. 2002). Some states allow for conviction for impaired driving based upon a measurement of THC, through blood test or urine testing. For example, in Colorado and Washington, driving with a blood level of THC in excess of 5 nanograms can result in a DUI conviction.

Brief interventions often involve assessing readiness, motivators, and barriers for behavior change. These types of interventions can also be delivered through technologies such as computers, cell phones, and tablets.25,35,36CDC’s Alcohol Screening Toolcan be used by adults to assess their drinking and create a personal change plan. Don’t let your friends drive while impaired by alcohol and/or drugs.