Facts About Driving Under alcohol Influence

Submitted by Be Safe Sollutions on

  • Impairment is not reliant upon the type of alcohol consumed, rather the number of drinks over a certain period of time. Despite myths and misconceptions, coffee, a cold shower, or exercise will not make a person more sober; only time will.
  • On average, a drunk driver will drive 80 times under the influence before their first arrest.
  • Someone is injured in a drunk driving incident every 120 seconds.
  • Between 50 to 75% of the people who have had their licenses revoked due to driving under the influence drive illegally without their license.
  • Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for teens, and roughly 1/3 of these accidents involve alcohol or another substance.
  • Since the early 1980s, alcohol-related traffic deaths per population have been cut in half with the greatest proportional declines among persons 16-20 years old.
  • In 2010, of the fatalities among children ages 14 and younger, 17 percent occurred in alcohol impaired-driving crashes.
  • Kids and teens who get involved with alcohol at a young age are 7 times more likely to be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lives.

Alcohol is classified as a drug, and acts in the same way as an anaesthetic, lowering or depressing the activity of the brain and spinal cord. It requires no digestion, and is absorbed directly into the bloodstream. About 80 per cent of alcohol is converted into water and carbon dioxide, and the remainder is excreted, mainly via the lungs and kidneys. The liver breaks down alcohol at a constant rate. This rate does not increase according to the alcohol intake. A rapid intake means that the alcohol ingested will exceed the liver’s breakdown rate, leading to a build-up of the blood-alcohol level. For example:

  • Wine is absorbed slowly because of its sugar content;
  • Beer is high in soluble nutrients and is absorbed slowly;
  • Spirits are absorbed rapidly when taken neat or diluted, because the process is not retarded by a sugar or nutrient content. Aerated mixers, such as soda water or cola, increase the rate of absorption.