Facts About Drinking and Driving
Every holiday season many highway patrol departments issue a high fatality projection. Unfortunately, these invariably are always accurate. In spite of public awareness and educational programs, people still decide to drive a car after drinking leading to many fatalities and accidents.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Report, car accidents are a leading cause of death amongst people under the age of 34 in the United States. The shocking part is that 40% of these deaths are alcohol related. Alcohol related accidents are extremely common in the US. Nearly 40% of people involved in a traffic accident invariably blame alcohol at some point or the other for the accidents.
It has been seen that a driver who has a blood alcohol content of 0.10% or more is seven times more prone to be involved in a fatal car accident than a driver who has not been drinking at all. While a driver with a blood alcohol level of 0.15% is 25 times more likely to be involved in a fatal car crash.
If we take an example of the a 160 pound person who has had two beers in a span of one hour. This person will have a blood alcohol content of 0.04% which is way below the permissible legal limit but is 1.4 times more likely to have an accident when compared to a person who has not been drinking.
It is important that every holiday, you decide to choose one person as a driver who does not drink. This person will drive you home safe and sound. No matter how tempting it sounds, do not drive if you have been drinking. You not only put yourself at risk but other too including innocent pedestrians or other drivers. |
