Let’s say you go to a
holiday party, you stay a few hours and have a few drinks. When it’s time to
go, you think to yourself, “I’m fine to drive. I’ve only had a few drinks, and
I barely feel buzzed.” You get in your car and drive toward home. This act places you at risk of facing the
consequences of drunk driving. Buzzed
driving places you and others on the road in danger of a crash; or worse,
death. Designate a sober driver.
Unfortunately, this
scenario is all too realistic. Many people wrongly believe there’s a magic
number of drinks or hours that determine your blood alcohol concentration
(BAC). But it’s different for every
person. Many factors go into the effect alcohol has on your body. Everywhere in
our country, it’s illegal to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher. A major
misconception is that you have to be stumbling around drunk to be over that
limit. For many people, it doesn’t take much alcohol to be too impaired for
driving.
Drivers convicted of
DUI have many excuses, but the reality they all have in common is this: they
didn’t plan ahead. Designating a sober
driver ahead of time is the only fool-proof way to avoid the dangers of drunk
driving. If you wait until you’ve been drinking to gauge your level of
impairment, it’s already too late. You
might tell yourself and others that you’re “okay to drive” when you’re not.
Even one drink can impair your judgment and reaction time enough to cause you
to overestimate your own abilities as a driver.
So next time you’re
going to drink, do us all a favor and make a plan. Some simple ideas: leave
your keys at home or give them to a friend; designate a sober driver who isn’t
drinking at all; tell others your intentions about driving and stick to the
plan; and most importantly—once you’ve had anything to drink, do not drive. Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving, so make
the choice: are you drinking tonight or are you driving?
Drunk driving is never the right choice, no
matter what. Even if you didn’t plan ahead, there’s always another way home.
You could call a friend or family member to pick you up, use public
transportation, or call a taxi. And if you think you don’t have money for a cab
or you’re worried about leaving your car somewhere overnight, think about the
alternative: a DUI costs about $10,000.
Please remember to
stay safe by driving sober or by designating a sober driver.
