The Impact Of Alcohol To Your Driving Ability
Alcohol affects your motor functions, meaning it can impact how well you drive. The risks of causing an accident are significant when you drive drunk. The effects of taking can drink can vary from person to person, and can include:
- Reduced vigilance and concentration
- Drowsiness
- Difficulty understanding sensory information
- Impaired vision
- Reduced reaction times
- Falling asleep behind the wheel
- Difficulty executing tasks such as sticking to your lane and gauging other traffic
- Faulting road rules
- Increased risk-taking because of feeling overconfident
The odds of any of these things happening are greater the more you consume alcohol. Therefore, it is best to avoid drinking if you plan to get behind the wheel.
Legal Drink-Driving Limits
BAC (Blood Alcohol Concertation) is a measurement of the alcohol concentration in your blood. It is used to set the drink-driving limit. Currently, the BAC is set at 0.05 however, the limit is 0.02 for learners, novice, and professional drivers. And given how alcohol impacts people differently, some can have a BAC of 0.02 and others 0.05 after taking one drink.
When It’s Safe To Drive Again
The body takes roughly 1 to 2 hours to process a standard drink, meaning you should wait for 5 hours before driving after consuming 5 standard drinks.
The alcohol levels in your body will keep rising for nearly 3 hours after you stop drinking and your system absorbs the alcohol. Nothing can speed up the process, not even drinking water, eating, taking a cup of coffee, or showering. That means you must leave it to time, allowing for the alcohol you go through your system.
Medicines And Illegal Drugs When Driving
Illegal or legal drugs can impact your driving capabilities. Things can turn for the worse when you take these substances with alcohol. Therefore, it is best to ask a pharmacist if you can drive after taking medications, read the product’s information leaflet before consumption. Avoid driving if in doubt of how the drugs will affect you because driving while under the influence of a legal or illegal substance is a traffic offense.
Limit Your Drinking
Below are a few tips on how to limit your consumption and ensure you stay safe when you are on a night out:
- Start with something non-alcoholic and consider have the same as a “spacer” (a non-alcoholic drink) after every two or three drinks
- Avoid refilling your glass when halfway because it makes it hard to track how much you have drunk
- Sip drinks instead of gulping them, and limit eating salty foods to reduce the dehydration rate
- Avoid competing with others, it is best not be feel pressures into drinking in rounds when you are with your friends
- Stir clear or mixed drinks like cocktails because it is hard to tell their exact alcohol content
- Have a designated driver if you plan to head back home having a buzz
- Budget for a taxi if nobody wants to be the designated driver
- Figure out the transportation options available before heading out
- You can opt to stay overnight or have someone pick you up
- Do not catch a ride from anyone that has been drinking
Give Jim a call today and let him give you a free consultation so that you can get the help that you need. Visit our blog for more related articles.