National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

National Impaired Driving - Prevention Month = How Alcohol Affects Drivers Even after a single drink. 1.5 oz 5 oz 12 oz .alcohol begins to relax drivers' bodies, altering their moods, impairing their ability to track moving objects, reducing their ability to focus, and causing some loss of judgment. Ounce by Ounce: Alcohol's Effect on Your Body Blood Alcohol Typical Effects Predictable Effects on Driving Concentration (BAC)* > Some loss of judgment > Relaxation > Slight body warmth > Altered mood Decline in visual functions (rapid tracking of a moving target) Decline in ability to perform two tasks at the same time (divided attention) } .02% > Exaggerated behavior > May have loss of small-muscle control (e.g., focusing your eyes) > Impaired judgment > Usually good feeling > Lowered alertness > Release of inhibition Reduced Reduced ability to track moving objects coordination Reduced response to }.05% Difficulty steering emergency driving situations > Muscle coordination becomes poor (e.g., balance, speech, vision, reaction time, and hearing) > Harder to detect danger > Judgment, self-control, reasoning, and memory are impaired Concentration Short-term memory loss Speed control Impaired perception }.08% Reduced information processing capability (e.g., signal detection, visual search) > Clear deterioration of reaction time and control }.10% > Slurred speech, poor coordination, and slowed thinking Reduced ability to maintain lane position and brake appropriately > Far less muscle control than normal > Vomiting may occur (unless this level is reached slowly or a person has developed a tolerance for alcohol) Substantial impairment in vehicle control, attention to driving task, and in necessary visual and auditory information processing .15% > Major loss of balance *This chart appears on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website (http://www.nhtsa.gov/links/sid/ABCsBACWeb/page2.htm) and illustrates the BAC level at which the effect usually is first observed. Other data sources include the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the American Medical Association, the National Commission Against Drunk Driving, and www.WebMD.com. How Common is Drunk/Drugged Driving? In 2012: In a national survey: On average: Over 1.3 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. Two in three people will That is one percent of the 121 million self-reported episodes of alcohol-impaired driving among U.S. adults each year. Over 15% of drivers tested positive for an illegal drug.? be involved in a drunk driving crash during his or her lifetime.3 Accident Risks When Driving Drunk Drivers with a breath Drivers with a breath At all levels of blood alcohol alcohol level of 0.08. alcohol level of 0.15... concentration. .the risk of being involved in a crash is }.08% 15% greater for .are at 12 times the risk of an accident compared to a sober driver.“ young people than for older .are at 4 times the risk of an accident compared to a sober driver.“ people. How many people died in alcohol-related crashes in 2013? Overall Children In 2013: Of the 1,149 traffic deaths among children ages O to 14 years in 2013, 200 (17%) involved an alcohol-impaired driver. Of the 44,574 10,076 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes. drivers involved in fatal accidents in 2013. Of the 200 child passengers ages 14 and younger who died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in 2013, over half (121) were riding in the vehicle with the .accounting for nearly one-third (31%) of all }.08% traffic-related deaths in ...21% had a BAC the United States. of 0.08 or higher. alcohol-impaired driver. Deaths Due to Drugged Driving Drugs other than alcohol (e.g., marijuana and cocaine) are involved in about 18% of motor vehicle driver deaths. These other drugs are often used in combination with alcohol.? GT BS GALLON, TAKACS, BOISSONEAULT & SCHAFFER CO.. LPA website: www.Gallonlaw.com email: [email protected] Sources: 1. CDC, Alcohol-impaired driving among adults- United States, 2012 http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6430a2.htm 2. NHTSA, National Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers, 2013-2014 http://www.nhtsagov/Driving+Safety/Research+&+Evaluation /Alcohol+and+Drug+Use+By+Drivers 3. NHTSA, Economic and Societal Impact Of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010 http://www-nrd.nhtsadot.gov/Pubs/812013.pdf 4. NHTSA, Drug & Alcohol Crash Risk Study, 2015 http://www.nhtsa.gov/Driving+Safety /Research+&+Evaluation/Alcohol+and+Drug+Use+By+Drivers 5. Zador et al., Alcohol-related relative risk of driver fatalities and driver involvement in fatal crashes in relation to driver age and gender: an update using 1996 data. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 200O http://www.jsad.com/doi/abs/10.15288/jsa.2000.61387 6. NHTSA, Alcohol-Impaired Driving Report, 2014 http://www-nrd.nhtsadot.gov/Pubs/812102.pdf 7. NHTSA, State of knowledge of drug-impaired driving, 2003 http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/research/stateofknwlegedrugs/stateofknwlegedrugs/