‘Tis The Season To Drive Sober

 These logos are probably familiar to you if you watch TV. The commercials for “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving” have been on for awhile and as we get close to the holidays, the theme “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” is being used. Both are products of the National Transportation and Safety Administration’s Traffic Safety Marketing Division and are designed to educate drivers young and not-so-young of the responsibilities that come with celebrating with alcohol. 

Facts to consider: 

• People drink more than usual during the holidays.
• Since people who drink more at that time don’t usually do so, they have a lower tolerance to the effects of alcohol. They may underestimate alcohol’s effects on them and can become intoxicated easier.
• Problem drinkers and alcoholics are more at ease with drinking because others are doing it too. They feel “normal”.
• The level of being busy and stressed can add a dangerous factor to driving in less than optimal road conditions such as more traffic and winter conditions in some parts of the country.

Playing it safe: 

• It’s okay to refuse alcoholic beverages. There is no law that says you must drink at gatherings.
• If hosting a get together, provide adequate non-alcoholic beverages.
• Decide ahead of time, if possible, how many drinks are a safe number for you.
• Alcohol should not be the reason or purpose for the celebration.
• DO NOT DRIVE if you have been drinking. If you are with a group, designate someone to do the driving or, better yet, ask your host to arrange a safe way home for you.

Know the consequences and costs: 

• Driving drunk comes with a host of costs such as- arrests; accidents; fees for attorneys, courts, vehicle repairs, higher insurance rates; loss of driving privileges and the worst most devastating of all- causing injury or taking a life of another due to being impaired.
• Be aware that law enforcement agencies are geared up for more patrols during the holidays. If you are stopped, you will undoubtedly be subjected to a sobriety test. Don’t let your year end with an arrest.
• During December 2009, 753 people were killed in crashes that involved drivers with blood alcohol levels greater than .08.

Impairment Charts for male and female to illustrate how
alcohol in different quantities can affect an individual.

Taken from The PoliceNotebook of the University of
Oklahoma Police Department (www.ou.edu/oupd/bac.htm)

Here are two sex-weighted charts for an alternate
method of calculating an approximate BAC level… 

Important note: 

ALCOHOL IMPAIRMENT CHART
MALES

 ALCOHOL IMPAIRMENT CHART
FEMALES  

 Subtract .01% for each 40 minutes of drinking.
* One drink is equal to 1¼ oz. of 80-proof liquor, 12 oz. of beer, or 4 oz. of table wine.
**ALL states have a .08 BAC per se law
- The final one took effect in August of 2005. (Updated: Sept. 3rd, 2005 

       The best policy is Don’t Drink and Drive. 

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