Alcohol belongs to the depressant class of drugs and is the most widely used recreational drug in Australia. Alcohol is often mistakenly believed to be a stimulant because drinking a small amount may initially reduce tension or inhibitions, making a person feel more relaxed or excited. However, alcohol is a depressant of the central nervous system that works to slow down messages travelling between the brain and body. At Get Drivers Ed, we offer comprehensive online driver education courses that cover the dangers of drunk driving and provide strategies for staying safe on the road.
Alcohol Awareness Month
Your attention span is dramatically reduced with drinking, which significantly increases the chance of an accident. Alcoholism is a condition that can be treated with the help of a specialized treatment center. If you or someone you love is struggling with a drinking problem, it’s time to seek help and get your life back on track. These startling statistics prompted us to look into the prevalence of drinking and driving in America with our own original survey.
Who Is Most At Risk?
At a BAC of .08 grams of alcohol per deciliter (g/dL) of blood, crash risk increases exponentially. Because of this risk, it’s illegal in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher, except in Utah where the BAC limit is .05. Every day, about 37 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that’s one person every 39 minutes. In 2022, 13,524 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths. When Canada updated its alcohol guidance in 2023, public health scientists there warned that all consequences of driving drunk include: alcohol use comes with risk.
The Dangers of Drunk Driving in Statistics
- They said two drinks a week, your risk of dying from an alcohol-related cause over your lifetime was one in a thousand.
- The evidence does not support the idea that we all need to be teetotalers.
- At Get Drivers Ed, we are dedicated to promoting safe driving habits and educating drivers about the consequences of impaired driving.
At the same time, alcohol’s supposed benefit, namely a healthier heart, is turning out not to be a thing. The World Health Organization says there’s no “safe” amount of alcohol to consume. And in 2023, a review of research re-examining 107 existing studies on booze found that alcohol also has no protective health impacts whatsoever.
Drunk Driving and DUIs
- Yet, despite widespread education about the perils, people drive under the influence all the time.
- Dr. Hoffman has successfully treated hundreds of patients battling addiction.
- Refusing to take these tests often results in immediate penalties, such as license suspension, fines, and in some cases, additional criminal charges.
They head out for a night of fun with friends and simply don’t consider what will happen when it’s time to head home. But when the bar is closed, and you’ve hit the freeway, the dangerous reality of drunk driving can come crashing down on you quickly. Another effect of drunk driving is the impact it has on every American taxpayer as well. Of all the drunk driving statistics out there, one of the most shocking ones is that drunk driving accidents cost the United States roughly $132 billion every year.
Though helpful, this still is a time commitment that can take away from work and family commitments. Treatment providers are available 24/7 to answer your questions about rehab, whether it’s for you or a loved one. Submit your number and receive a free call today from a treatment provider.
Plus, it’s important to know that any BAC can impair driving enough to cause irreparable damage. In 2019, 1,775 lives were lost in accidents where a driver’s BAC was under 0.08% (1). In the United States, more than one person per hour is killed in a drunk driving accident (1). A driver may face civil lawsuits in addition to criminal charges from the person they injured or their family if a loved one died in a car accident.
Getting Treatment for an Alcohol Problem
- A small amount of alcohol can impair judgment and vision, depending on factors such as gender, weight, and others.
- Alcohol can negatively affect the muscular and skeletal systems by thinning the bones over time.
- Researchers have identified seven possible decision points that can lead to drinking and driving (4).
- Sweating it out with exercise, cold showers, coffee, fresh air or vomiting will not speed up the process.
- Factors like weight, gender, and food consumption all play a role in how quickly alcohol affects you.
If you’re driving drunk and you think you’re driving normally, you’re wrong. If a police officer catches you they will charge you with a DUI/DWI, and that’s a best-case scenario. Worst case, you’ll get in an accident and lose your life, or cost someone else theirs. As such, it’s vital that you know how to spot some of these signs and how to respond to them should you ever find yourself driving next to a drunk driver.
For D’Argenio Waller, this sort of knowledge has been empowering. Not drinking has “had positive impacts in what feels like all aspects of my life,” she says. These penalties are designed not only to punish offenders but also to deter others from making Alcohol Use Disorder the dangerous decision to drink and drive. Repercussions of a guilty verdict on an impaired driving charge vary depending on your province or territory.
