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At Hartwick College, there have been programs to warn students of the perils of drunk driving, including a mock DUI crash and a simulated drunk driving event. A drunk person should never drive, no matter how good of a driver they think they are. Unfortunately, nearly 32 percent of our respondents aged 18 to 34 said they believe there are people who are good at drunk driving.
- This device requires drivers to blow into the interlock and register a BAC below .02% to start the car.
- Zero tolerance laws make it illegal for people under age 21 to drive with any measurable amount of alcohol in their systems.
- One of the worst mistakes a drunk college student can make is getting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle.
- The BACs of drivers in fatal crashes were also related to driving behaviors that contributed to the fatal crash (see table 5).
- There are many misconceptions about marijuana use, including rumors that marijuana can’t impair you or that marijuana use can actually make you a safer driver.
People who have alcohol use disorder (AUD) can benefit from long-term, tailored, and specialized treatment programs. Ideally people would receive treatment for AUD before committing an alcohol-impaired driving offense. However, when people are arrested for alcohol-impaired driving, this can serve as an opportunity to assess drinking habits and refer them for brief interventions (described below) or specialized treatment.
A Regional Look at Drinking and Driving Facts
Drunk driving can lead to lives lost, jobs lost, severe injury, legal trouble, debt, and incarceration. Anyone who is operating a motorized vehicle or a vehicle with any type of drive train can get a DUI-type offense. This includes the use of motorized watercraft, lawnmowers, mopeds, and even non-motorized bicycles. Lots of states have “DUI court,” “first-offender,” and other programs that allow participants to avoid jail time for a DUI conviction. Usually, these programs require participants to complete substance abuse treatment and submit to drug and alcohol testing.
Among drivers in fatal crashes who had a zero BAC, only 10 percent experienced a vehicle overturn and only 10 percent struck a fixed object. In contrast, among drivers with BACs of 0.15 percent or higher, 28 percent experienced a vehicle overturn and 33 percent struck a fixed object (NHTSA 2003a). In every racial or ethnic group examined, a higher proportion of male than female deaths were alcohol related. In almost every racial/ethnic group, the age consequences of drinking and driving group with the highest percentage of drivers and pedestrians who died in alcohol-related crashes was the 21- to 49-year-old group (Voas and Tippetts 1999). With the exception of life or death emergencies, drunk drivers gain very little from choosing to drive while intoxicated. If you had those first two beers that raised your BAC to 0.04 and now you drink two more beers to raise your BAC to 0.08, your likelihood of an accident goes up drastically.
DUI & DWI Laws
Survey respondents arrested for a second offense were required to install ignition interlock devices more than twice as often (41%) as those arrested for first-offense DUI (18%). And 50% of those arrested for third or fourth DUI were required to have an IID. As recovering alcoholics ourselves we know how hard it is to find reliable, and free resources to help yourself or a loved one. If you want to talk, getting help for alcoholism is only a phone call away. A typical 25-ounce (750 ml) bottle of table wine holds about 5 “standard” drinks, each containing about 5 ounces.
Most employers, schools and landlords conduct background checks on applicants, which would bring your DUI conviction to their attention. You may be fired from your current job or have trouble securing a new job, when employers find out about the offense. If you need financial aid in school, your application may only be successful if you have a clean record.
Driving After Drinking
In most states, you’ll typically face an increased license suspension if you have prior DUIs, had a high BAC, or refused to take a chemical test when appropriately asked to do so by an officer. Some states will even revoke a driver’s license permanently for a third or fourth DUI. This type of license suspension is usually called an “administrative” or “per se” suspension. Drinking and driving not only pose a threat to yourself and others but also incurs additional financial penalties. Besides the cost of bail and legal fees, you may also face fees for towing, vehicle storage, and mandatory DUI training. Your insurance premiums can also increase significantly following a DUI arrest.
- Similarly, staying hydrated by drinking lots of water can help your body flush out alcohol faster and more efficiently.
- People with a parent, grandparent, or other close relative with alcoholism have a higher risk for becoming dependent on alcohol.
- There was a 62-percent decline in traffic deaths among young people in which the person with the highest BAC in the crash had a BAC above 0.15 percent, and a 59-percent decline in deaths where BACs exceeded 0.08 percent.
- In 31 States, police can only give citations for failure to wear safety belts if a vehicle is stopped for another moving violation (i.e., secondary enforcement).
- An impaired driver lacks the ability to quickly and decisively avoid an accident or even perform routine driving maneuvers.
Sixteen- to 20-year-olds have had the greatest decline in alcohol-related traffic deaths since 1982, down 56 percent, from 5,244 to 2,329 (see figure 3). There was a 62-percent decline in traffic deaths among young people in which the person with the highest BAC in the crash had a BAC above 0.15 percent, and a 59-percent decline in deaths where BACs exceeded 0.08 percent. Trends in number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities for different BACs, 1982 through 2002. Traffic deaths involving people with BACs up to 0.08 percent had the smallest proportional decline (19 percent) from 1982 through 2002. The NHTSA survey described above (Royal 2000) also asked participants about their perceived chance of being stopped and arrested for drinking and driving. More than half the respondents thought it would be at least somewhat likely that they would be stopped by the police if they drove after having too much to drink.
