Problems with alcohol abuse can lead to many issues with our physical and mental health. What’s more, it can also make us engage in dangerous behaviors we wouldn’t normally consider. Despite knowing the potential consequences of drink driving for example, sadly, when we drink too much, our ability to make sound decisions go out the window.
If you’re guilty of getting behind the wheel even when you’re only slightly over the limit, below are some sobering facts about drink driving which might make you think twice next time.
Each drink increases your thinking distance by 20%
You may think that drink driving is only a problem if you’re blind drunk. The truth is that any amount of alcohol consumption slows down your reaction times. Say for example a child unexpectedly runs out into the road, the more you drink, the more of a delay there will be between you spotting the child and putting your foot on the brake to avoid hitting them.
For each alcoholic beverage you consume, you can expect your thinking distance to increase by 20%.
Even if you’re under the limit, your chances of being in an accident greatly increase
The Canadian drink driving limit is a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08. Despite this, even with a BAC of .05, you are twice as likely to be in an accident compared to someone who hasn’t consumed any alcohol whatsoever.
At the drink drive limit, you are four times more likely to be involved in an accident and with a BAC of .15, you’re a staggering 20 times more likely to be involved in an accident while driving. Regularly engaging in drink driving may be a sign that you could benefit from alcoholism treatment.
What alcohol does to your driving ability
Alcohol affects our ability to drive in a number of ways:
- It makes us underestimate the distance and speed of other vehicles on the road.
- Our vision is affected which can make it more difficult to see other cars or hazards, especially when it’s dark or there are bad weather conditions.
- Reaction times are dramatically reduced.
- We overestimate our ability to drive and therefore become more reckless on the road.
What puts you over the limit can vary from person to person
It’s impossible to state an exact quantity of alcohol which will put you over the limit because many things affect our BAC including:
- Whether you’re male or female.
- How much you have eaten that day.
- How quickly you drank.
- What your tolerance levels are.
- Your weight.
- Metabolic rate.
- How tired you are.
- What type of alcohol you’re drinking.
- The amount of time since your last drink. You may think that leaving it half an hour before driving is a good thing but alcohol takes time to absorb and therefore your BAC may still be rising.
The only way to assume you’re safe on the road is to avoid drinking altogether if you’re the designated driver. If you can’t drive sober despite your hardest efforts, this may be a sign that you need alcohol abuse treatment.
Drink driving kills hundreds of people every year
The most recent year for which data is available is 2010 and in this year, 744 Canadians were killed in road traffic accidents involving drink drivers. In this same year, 33.6% of fatal crashes involved a driver under the influence of alcohol.
Water won’t help
Many people who drink and drive think that having a glass of water in between drinks or before hitting the road will sober them up. The only reason why drinking water may help is because in the time you’re drinking water, you’re not consuming alcohol.
When it comes to making a difference to your BAC content however, it’s unlikely that anyone can drink enough water to increase their body water enough to make a significant difference.
If you think that you or someone you know may need help for alcohol addiction or you would like more information about alcohol abuse treatment, please feel free to contact Toronto Trauma and Addiction Counselling and we will be more than happy to help.
