UNINTENTIONAL)INJURY/ADVOCACY

Unit 4 – Part 1

IMPAIRED DRIVING

"I#Went#To#A#Party,#Mom"

Follow along and watch one of the many video interpretations of the famous PSA Poem.

BAC(Blood(Alcohol(Concentration(or(

Content)

! When a person drinks alcohol, it absorbed directly through the walls of the stomach and small intestine and goes into the bloodstream.

! It can be measured 30-60 minutes after a person has had a drink.

! It is typically measured on scale of .00 (no alcohol/sober) to .5 (death)

! A BAC of .08 is legally intoxicated

BAC(Blood(Alcohol(Concentration(or(

Content)

Roll$the$diceHow$many$drinks$=$.08?

What%affects%BAC?

! How fast a person’s BAC rises varies based on a number of factors:

! The number of drinks. The more you drink, the higher your BAC.

! How fast you drink.When alcohol is consumed quickly, you will reach a higher BAC than when it is consumed over a longer period of time.

! Your gender.Women generally have less water and more body fat per pound of body weight than men. Alcohol does not go into fat cells as easily as other cells, so more alcohol remains in the blood of women.

! Your weight. The more you weigh, the more water is present in your body. This water dilutes the alcohol and lowers the BAC.

! Food already in your stomach. Absorption will be slowed if you’ve had something to eat.

Other&Factors&of&Intoxication

! Tolerance – can vary BAC and its effects

! Fatigue – liver will work slower causing higher BAC

! Illness – less water in body causing higher BAC

! Medications or drugs will not change your BAC. However, they WILL cause you to feel and be more impaired.

BAC&%Driving

! The law is extremely clear no matter where you live.

! Blow a .08 BAC, you're getting arrested! Refuse to blow, you're getting arrested

! At .05 you can face criminal penalties in most states

! The ONLY safe BAC to drive with is a .00

Match&the&Laws

The$Laws

! Driving While Intoxicated (DWI):.08 BAC or higher or other evidence of intoxication.

! Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated (Aggravated DWI).18 BAC or higher

! Driving While Ability Impaired by Alcohol (DWAI/Alcohol)More than .05 BAC but less than .07 BAC, or other evidence of impairment.

! Driving While Ability Impaired by a Single Drug other than Alcohol (DWAI/Drug)

! Driving While Ability Impaired by a Combined Influence of Drugs or Alcohol (DWAI/Combination)

! Chemical Test RefusalA driver who refuses to take a chemical test (normally a test of breath, blood or urine).

Under&21?

! Zero Tolerance LawA driver who is less than 21 years of age and who drives with a .02 BAC to .07 BAC violates the Zero Tolerance Law.

! ANY ALCOHOL IN YOUR SYSTEM WILL GET YOU ARRESTED

! A DUI at any age will mess with your LICENSE, your INSURANCE, and your SCHOOL or JOB. But penalties for drunk driving everywhere are HARSHER on teens.

! Did you know that 7% of all licensed drivers are between 15 and 20 years old, but 15% of all fatal crashes involve the same age group?

! According to these numbers, you are actually twice as likely to die in a car crash than adults 21 and over.

More%Legal%Consequences

NYS DMV: Penalties for drug or alcohol related violations

The$Financial$Consequences

! A standard DUI can cost you $7,000 - $20,000

The$Financial$Consequences

! Different states will have different fees with the same re$ults.

! In some states and many individual counties, your first offense also means you get to pay for installation and monitoring of an Ignition Interlock Device n your car.

! $100 installation and $60/month monitoring/calibration for a year

! (Add at least another $800)

JUST%WAIT!

! It can take up to 6 hours for your BAC level to drop from a .08 to a .00

! A common guideline FOR MEN is that after each typical drink, you must wait 45 minutes before attempting to drive.

! If you have another drink, you must add another 45 minutes.

! Because men and women are built differently, women reach a higher BAC drink after drink than men.

! More of the alcohol a woman drinks enters her bloodstream.

! Women must wait an hour!

Marijuana(&(Driving

! While the symptoms of alcohol impairment may be more extreme, smoking marijuana does cause impairment and its impact on driving should never be dismissed

! The following are some symptoms associated with smoking pot that can impair the ability to drive:

! Disorientation

! Lack of concentration

! Altered time/space perception

! Drowsiness/sedation

! Fluctuating emotions

! Image distortion

! A dulling of attention despite an illusion of heightened insight

! Vasodilation: causes lower blood pressure which can lead to dizziness, blurred vision and confusion

Marijuana(&(Driving

! THC can be tested in blood and urine weeks after someone has smoked weed, so law enforcement can use this against drivers who they believe are under the influence.

! New saliva tests are becoming more popular to test within 2-3 hours

! Some sources recommend waiting at least 3 hours before driving after smoking pot.

! There is still no definite evidence on the correct amount of time

Don't&Defy&Logic!

! People need to accept that BAC lowers only with time.

! The higher your BAC, the longer it takes the alcohol to leave your bloodstream.

! There's honestly no getting around that.

MYTHS&for&lowering&BAC:

Take a cold shower Drink coffee

Eat while drinking to “soak up”

alcohol

Get some fresh air

Myths&for&avoiding&a&DUI:

Suck on a penny Rinse with or drink mouthwash Eat raw garlic/onion Eat curry powder?

HUH?

Eat chewing tobacco? EW?

Eat underwear….WUUUT? Refuse the Breathalyzer

Unfortunate*Facts

! Drunk driving costs the US $132 billion a year.

! Drivers with a BAC of .08 are approximately 4x more likely to crash than drivers with a BAC of zero.! At a BAC of .15, drivers are at least 12x more likely to

crash

! Every two minutes, a person is injured in a drunk driving crash.

! Every day in America, another 29 people die as a result of drunk driving crashes. That’s one person every 50 minutes.

PreventionBrainstorm ways you can plan ahead...

Prevention:*stick*to*your*plan!

! Designated Driver – collect everyone's keys!

! Offer to buy dinner or gas

! Rotate this responsibility

! This is not the "least drunk of the group"

! Not even a sip!

! Have Uber or Lyft set up in your phone

! Taxi – remember to bring cash with you

! Call a friend or relative

! Stay over

! Walk with a group if safe