Drunk Driving – A Week Into 2010 and Over 200 Deaths

Ask 100 visitors to our site if they enjoy a good stiff drink, and you’ll get one answer: yes.

Ask the same 100 if they think it’s okay to drive drunk, you’ll get one answer: no.

But if you ask 100 people how much they can drink and still drive—or how long they should wait before driving—you might get 100 different answers. A couple a beers? A few glasses of wine? A snifter of brandy? Anything under the legal Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) limit?

The problem is, most people go more by feel than by fact. We are only a week into 2010 and drunk driving accounts for more than 200 deaths. So as a blog related to alcohol, it’s our responsibility to stand up and once again talk about drunk driving and the different factors associated with it.

Everybody’s Doing It

We posted an article last year about the astounding number of drunk driving deaths compiling in the United States. Over 10,000 people a year die in alcohol-related accidents each year. The problem of drunk driving, though, is much more widespread.

More than 500,000 accidents involving alcohol (about one every two minutes) occur each year. In 2006, 1.46 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. And those are just the people who got caught.

Here’s the really mind-blowing number: A 2002 survey estimated that Americans engaged in more than 159 million alcohol-impaired driving trips—that’s one impaired journey for every two Americans! In reality, only 2.3% of Americans reported driving while impaired, but the frequency of those decisions is absolutely terrifying! And who knows how many respondents didn’t fully understand what impairment really is?

Stats courtesy of MADD

How Do You Know Your BAC?

Research verifies what you probably already know: everybody is different. The level of alcohol in your blood varies greatly depending on what you drink, what you eat, how fast you eat, your body weight, your gender . . . the list goes on. What you might not realize, though, is that it’s practically impossible to estimate your BAC without sophisticated testing equipment.

There’s no easy formula or handy calculator that can give you a reliable number. Depending on the variables, you could reach your peak BAC within 10 minutes of your first drink—or as late as 90 minutes after you started drinking. And it could take hours after you stop drinking for your body to metabolize the alcohol and return your BAC to zero.

If you want a reliable reading, use a breathalyzer machine if one is available at your bar or restaurant—or just let someone who hasn’t been drinking drive you home. But even if you know for sure what your BAC level is, what percentage is okay for driving?

Zero Risk = 0.0%

The number we all know is .08%, the so-legal limit adopted by all 50 states. But if a police officer judges you to be noticeably impaired, any alcohol impairment could get you arrested. And with good reason.

In recent years, research has focused on the effects of lower alcohol levels, even levels below .05%. People with BACs as low as .025% can experience “significant impairment in psychomotor performance, to the extent that driving safety is compromised,” according to a study by the NHTSA. Depending on the circumstances, you could attain a .025% BAC from a single beer!

Sure, you know your limitations. You know when it’s not safe to drive—or do you? In reality, if you are aware of the impairment, you’re probably past the legal limit. But the skills you need for driving—like the ability to conduct multiple tasks at once—were likely reduced earlier and to a greater degree than you thought.

The only completely safe amount you can drink before driving is not at all. If it’s been less than an hour since your last drink, it’s probably too soon to sit behind the wheel. Do the safe and smart thing if you’ve been drinking, even a little—let someone who is completely sober take you home.

You might not consider yourself drunk—but that doesn’t mean you’re ready to drive. Let’s make 2010 a much better year than what it has been in the past. Talk to others about the consequences of drunk driving.

Related posts:

1. 2,670 = Drunk Driving Deaths So Far In 2009
2. A Horrifying 7000 Deaths Due to Drunk Driving since 03/09
3. Drunk Driving Statistics : Looking Back as 2009 Comes To an End
4. Ads That Make You Think Twice Before Drunk Driving
5. Drunk Warehouse Driver Ruins Thousands Worth Of Cognac

9 Responses to “Drunk Driving – A Week Into 2010 and Over 200 Deaths”

1. Emma smith says:

   January 8, 2010 at 6:11 am

   drunk driving always dangerous for us and other people. So please save your life and other also..thanks
2. Joe says:

   January 8, 2010 at 7:49 am

   those numbers are unbelievable. i actually own a designated driving company dedicated to stopping this sort of thing, but still had no idea how incredibly high they were. please don’t drive drunk- there are services like ours in lots of places, but if you can’t find one, use another safe way home.
3. Drunk Driving – A Week Into 2010 and Over 200 Deaths | COGNAC Your … | Mr. DUI's Blog says:

   January 8, 2010 at 1:36 pm

   [...] here to see the original: Drunk Driving – A Week Into 2010 and Over 200 Deaths | COGNAC Your … Tags: 200-deaths, drunk driving, our-responsibility, [...]
4. Ben Louns says:

   January 8, 2010 at 1:43 pm

   its bad
5. Joe says:

   January 8, 2010 at 4:16 pm

   Its very sad people don’t think about the seriousness of driving drunk. I have a friend that is now raising a 2 year old alone because his wife was hit and killed by a drunk driver a year ago. Think about that the next time you think about driving drunk.
6. Bartender says:

   January 9, 2010 at 6:11 pm

   Great facts…

   I mean, alcohol will be the beaten dead horse in any crash even if it isn’t a factor. “Studies,” a term i use lightly since MADD’s own founder left the group because they are about bring back prohibition, are a joke. You can find what you need given enough time.

   The nhtsa now figures any accident where a person has .02 BAC it is an alcoholic crash. Interesting how the sample is taken. I lost friends/family in drunk drivings. A girl that was in my college died in a drunk driving accident. She left a party, with a friend on the high way, rounded a corner. The semi was oncoming, the trailer got loose on some ice and killed her. She was over .02 of course there wasn’t anything that could have been done, drunk or sober. In the NHTSA eyes it is an alcohol related crash.

   Unfortunately eating ice cream, drinking milk, having wine at church, can throw false positives on “sophisticated” equipment.

   We live in such a nanny nation, we have to have scientific proof that is calculated for ever move we make. There seems to be no tolerance for mistakes. I think people need mistakes so they care learn and teach others. You smoke a cigarette in a bar in my town you get hit with a heavier fine than smoking weed in it.

   The article has good intentions, but delivers it all wrong. Shame on the admin for abusing facts.

   200 deaths in 2010… it was also cold out. Maybe the admin can use that in his article too.

   I just think common sense should be relied on more. Not looking for a cop-out or someone to blame.

   If you plan on drinking, don’t drive.

   Simple.

   Also, there horrible drivers out there, find someone that can drive defensively. No point in being safe when you get in a car with an awful driver.
7. steve says:

   January 11, 2010 at 4:36 pm

   >> Having wine at church, can throw false positives on “sophisticated” equipment.

   It doesn’t matter where you had it, it’s alcohol and still has the same effect, no matter the source.

   >> There seems to be no tolerance for mistakes. I think people need mistakes so they care learn and teach others.

   Mistakes, yes. Intenionally doing something that you have been repeatedly told can cause serious bodily harm or death to others is not a mistake.
8. 5 Bars to Visit Before You Die | COGNAC Your Guide To The Finest Drinks says:

   January 15, 2010 at 10:09 am

   [...] to the bars, be sure to take a designated driver with you. Over 400 people have already died due to drunk driving in 2010. Stay safe and enjoy your weekend. Share and [...]
9. Amanda says:

   February 18, 2010 at 9:14 pm

   My name is amanda. I live in minnesota and on June 21st, 2009 my best friend was killed drinking and driving. He was on a motorcycle and did not think that he was that impaired, but the truth is, he was. He was driving through a park at very high speeds and was not wearing a helmet. He tried popping a wheelie and crashed. His family pulled the plug on him the next day.

   I hope that people can learn from this experience.

   you are not the exception…you are the rule.