11. Driving Under the Influence

Alcohol

WHAT IS ALCOHOL?

Toxicology charts list alcohol as a poison, and a deadly one. It has the ability to make you feel good WHILE it is killing you.

The slow destruction of various body organs, the destruction of brain cells, and the deterioration of motor skills, should show any drinker a need for cautious ingestion of alcohol.

However, alcohol ACTS as a stimulant, under low dosages, and the drinker feels "good" and seldom feels the effects of being poisoned....until too late.

One of the first signs is the need to vomit. This is the brain's signal to the body to get rid of the poison. The trouble is,

the poison is already in the bloodstream, and NOT in the stomach. College courses in Medecine, such as Ramapo College, teach another basic about alcohol: it is a Central Nervous System depressant.

This means that alcohol, immediately after drinking even one drink, begins to work on shutting down the nervous system. It does this in a sequence of events, beginning with the brain's ability to perform judgment, and to control the emotions.

As you continue to drink, alcohol continues to shut down the nervous system, eventually to the point where the brain can no longer control body functions...like breathing!

Alcohol is also listed as a flammable substance, meaning that it catches fire rather easily.

How many other things can you think of, in your daily life, that you purposefully drink or eat, that catches fire easily?

Alcohol is a hydro-carbon compound, not unlike gasoline or kerosene. Do you remember high school chemistry class, and using an alcohol burner to heat test tubes and chemicals?

What would you do if someone offered you a beaker of dark fluid, and said, " Here, have a drink of a poisonous nerve depressant, that catches fire!"

What would you do if someone offered you a glass of dark fluid, and said, "Here, have a Rum-and-Coke!"

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?

Because of its effects, many people don't THINK that they are being poisoned, but as this study shows, done at Potsdam University, they are wrong. Alcohol poisoning begins as soon as you take the first drink. Because of its nature, it doesn't kill you, it just makes you feel good about being poisoned!

Here is a powerful, short video about WHY you don't want to drink and drive!

Blood Alcohol Concentration

Commonly, drunk is defined as your Blood Alcohol Concentration "BAC." This refers to a ratio of alcohol-to-blood.

Charts are often used to "show" this BAC, but it is seldom actually explained. For example, in California a BAC of .08% is considered to be a "drunk" rating. Expressed as an actual ratio, this means that you have 8/10 ths of a drop of alcohol, for every 1,000 drops of blood in your body!

This shows just how poisonous alcohol is! But, this is just a "measuring stick". Let's look at it a little closer.

The reality is that, being drunk means that you have overdosed on a poison! Your body, brain, and nervous system are now beginning to do a shut-down.

Because of its' effect on the "pleasure center" of the brain, you don't FEEL like you have overdosed... You feel happy, euphoric, and capable of things that you can't actually do -- like drive a car.

Legal limits are important for law enforcement, but Mother Nature doesn't needs police and judges. Violate her laws, such as taking too much of a poison, and her justice is swift, sure, and final.

0.05% BAC : Euphoric, relaxed and congenial.

0.07% BAC : Talkative, excited and sociable.

0.10% BAC : Uncoordinated, slurred speech and loss of inhibitions.

0.12% BAC : Unrestrained behavior, lack of control and loss of judgment.

0.20% BAC : Loss of alertness, drowsiness and lethargy.

0.30% BAC : Stupor or comatose state.

0.40% BAC : Suppression of respiratory function, erratic heartbeat-can be fatal.

0.50% BAC : Death is very likely to occur.

Blood Alcohol Concentration

When consumed, alcohol passes through the three main areas of the brain. These are: the forebrain, the midbrain, and the hindbrain.

The forebrain controls judgment and reasoning. It is in this area that the alcohol "high" is created. Caution, common sense, reasoning, and inhibitions are reduced when this area of the brain is exposed to alcohol.

The midbrain regulates muscular control. Coordinated movement is affected by alcohol in this part of the brain.

The hindbrain controls involuntary bodily functions such as respiration (breathing) and heart rate.

When a person consumes 12 drinks, he or she could reach a BAC level as high as 0.5%. Death can result from this level of intoxication.

Beer can exceed 5% alcohol, wine is typically 12% alcohol, and distilled spirits are typically at least 40% alcohol.

There is typically the same amount of alcohol in a twelve ounce can of beer, a five ounce glass of wine, and a drink containing one shot (1 1/4 ounce) of an 80-proof distilled spirit.

When you take a drink, the alcohol is absorbed into the linings of the stomach and small intestine and is promptly disseminated by the bloodstream to parts of the body, including the brain.

About 5% of the alcohol you consume is absorbed in your mouth and throat and 95% is absorbed in the digestive system.

Alcohol cannot be retained in your body's tissue without serious health effects.

In addition:

Alcohol adversely affects your ability to drive by effecting your judgment, awareness, vision and reaction time.

Alcohol:

Depending on your weight, as little as one drink can make you an unsafe driver. It is unlawful for drivers under the age of 21 to drive with any amount of alcohol in their system.

Distance, depth, and speed perception are all affected by the consumption of alcohol. To steer and brake smoothly, a driver needs to be well coordinated and must know where the cars are around him or her are and how fast they are going.

Many alcohol related crashes occur at high speeds because the drivers who were drinking had no sense of how fast they were going.

Unfortunately, alcohol isn't "politically correct" when it comes to treating men and women equally. See how drinking affects you, based on whether you're male or female.

Ability to Dilute Alcohol

Because females have less body water (by weight percentage), they are unable to dilute alcohol as much as males, thus INCREASING the intoxication effect on women, with the same given amount of alcohol. In other words, females tend to get drunk faster, and on less alcohol, than males.

Women: Average Total Body Water: 52%

Men: Average Total Body Water: 61%

Ability to Metabolize Alcohol

Dehydrogenase converts alcohol molecules into acetaldehyde, an even more toxic molecule, which is then quickly converted into acetate and other molecules that are easily utilized by our cells. Thus, a potentially dangerous molecule is converted, through alcohol dehydrogenase, into a mere foodstuff.

Women:

Have a smaller quantity of dehydrogenase, an enzyme that breaks down alcohol. Because females lack, or have much less, of this enzyme, they once again tend to get more alcohol to the brain, thus getting drunker, quicker.

Men:

Have a larger quantity of dehydrogenase, which allows them to break down the alcohol they take in more quickly.

Hormonal Effects on Alcohol

Women:

Premenstrual hormonal changes cause intoxication to set in faster during the days right before a woman gets her period. Alcohol increases estrogen levels. Birth control pills or other medicine with estrogen increase intoxication.

Men:

Their susceptibility to getting drunk does not fluctuate dramatically at certain times of the month. Alcohol also increases estrogen levels in men. Chronic alcoholism has been associated with loss of body hair and muscle mass, development of swollen breasts and shrunken testicles, and impotence.

Alcohol impaired drivers tend to stare rather than scan. This can significantly impair your awareness of other vehicles and developing traffic situations.

Alcohol impaired drivers have difficulty performing more than one task at a time, which is a serious driving impairment since you must be able to perform multiple tasks to stay safe behind the wheel.

Alcohol impaired drivers often forget to perform important driving tasks such as turning on or dimming their headlights. They may also forget to wear their safety belt, thereby increasing their risk of being fatally injured in an accident.

Even very small amounts of alcohol adversely affect: (a) your ability to accommodate changing levels of light, (b) your depth perception, (c) your ability to make rapid lateral eye movements needed to scan for hazards, and (d) your fields of vision. Reduced visual function and poor judgment, especially at night, can be a deadly combination.

Alcohol slows your mental processes, which includes your ability to recognize hazards. This in turn requires you to have quicker reflexes because your time to react has been shortened. With your basic reflexes slowed, your chances of staying out of an accident are reduced.

Alcohol impaired drivers' reaction time is much slower than a non-impaired driver. The nerves are affected by alcohol and an impaired driver cannot react quickly to an unfolding situation and make an appropriate decision. Alcohol significantly slows the decision making process.

Myths about alcohol include the belief that cold showers, black coffee, or exercising will sober up a person when, in reality, the time to sober up is dependent on body weight, what you have had to eat, and other factors outside your immediate control. There is no way to speed up the sobering process.

Alcohol Statistics:

DUI stands for " driving under the influence " and includes being under the influence of prescription, non-prescription, or illegal drugs and/or other substances, as well as alcohol.

If you are 21 years of age or older, you are legally considered to be under the influence when your BAC is 0.08% or greater. You can also be convicted of DUI at any BAC level if you exhibit symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol, drugs or both.

It is illegal at any age and under any circumstances to operate a vehicle with a BAC of 0.08% or greater, and 0.04% or greater when operating a commercial vehicle.

Research shows that your driving ability may become impaired even with a BAC level as low as 0.05%.

If you are under age 21, it is unlawful for you to drive with a BAC of 0.08% or higher. The court may convict you of DUI in addition to the penalties imposed under the non-criminal zero tolerance law that makes it illegal for a person under 21 to drive with a BAC of 0.01%.

Any person who drives a motor vehicle is considered to have given his or her consent to being tested for alcohol or drugs any time he or she is arrested on suspicion of DUI.

Your drivers license may be suspended or revoked if you refuse to take a test of your BAC after being requested to do so by a peace officer. Also, you can still be convicted of DUI even if you refuse to take the test.

You do not have the right to be represented by an attorney while you are deciding to take or taking the BAC test.

The term "Administrative Per Se" ( Admin Per Se ) refers to the law which requires the DMV to suspend or revoke the driving privilege of persons 21 years of age or older who are driving with a BAC of 0.08% or greater, and persons under the age of 21 who are driving with a BAC of 0.01% or greater.

If you refuse to take a test for your BAC, Admin Per Se allows the officer to confiscate your driver license and serve you with an order suspending or revoking your license for the refusal.

These are administrative, non-criminal procedures which are separate from any criminal charges that may also be brought against you in court. In many cases, the Admin Per Se action can still take effect even without a DUI conviction.

The immediate suspension or revocation is served by the officer at the time of the arrest. The suspension for a first offense will be 120 days in length. If you have prior alcohol related offenses on your record, you may be suspended for 1 year.

You may not drink any alcoholic beverage while you are behind the wheel

You may not have an opened alcoholic beverage container inside the vehicle which is accessible to you or your passengers (if you or one of your passengers is 21 years of age or older, an opened alcoholic beverage container may be carried in the trunk of your vehicle)

If there is no person in the vehicle who is at least 21 years of age, you are not allowed to have any alcoholic beverage container, opened or not, anywhere in the vehicle, including locked in the trunk, unless you are transporting it in the course of your employment.

Current chemical testing requirements for violators of driving under the influence (DUI)
California Vehicle Code (CVC) 23612, “implied consent for chemical testing,”
requires a blood or breath chemical test when a person is lawfully arrested for DUI
involving drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol. The urine chemical test is only
permitted under the following conditions:

If you are under age 21 there is a zero tolerance policy for drinking and driving. If any measurable level of alcohol (0.01% BAC or greater) is detected in your system, you will lose your license for 1 year if it is your first offense within 7 years. Your license will be revoked for 2 to 3 years if it is your second or subsequent offense in 7 years. You may also be required to go to a DUI program.

If you do not have a driver license yet, the court will tell DMV to make you wait a year longer before you can apply for a license.

If you are under the age of 21 and refuse to take a breath or blood test for alcohol or drugs when arrested for suspicion of DUI, your license will be suspended for one year. If your BAC is 0.08% or greater, you may also be convicted of DUI, a criminal offense!

DUI penalties include:

A first offender must be jailed for at least 48 hours, can be fined up to $1,000 dollars, be restricted to driving to and from work or to and from an alcohol treatment program, be ordered by the court to attend either a three month or six month alcohol treatment program, be required to file proof of insurance with the Department of Motor Vehicles, and be required to have an ignition interlock device (IID) installed on his or her vehicle.

Much of what has been said about alcohol also applies to drugs (both legally prescribed medicines and illegal drugs). California's DUI laws not only relate to the use of alcohol, they also apply to being under the influence of drugs. Specifically, the DUI law refers to "driving under the influence of alcohol and or drugs." The law does not have to say which drugs are involved. Many medicines can also affect the way that a person drives.

The use of any drug while driving (the law does not distinguish between prescription, over-the-counter, and illegal drugs) that impairs your driving is illegal. Almost any drug can affect a person's driving skill. This is true of prescription drugs, drugs you can buy over-the-counter, and illegal drugs.

Current chemical testing requirements for violators of driving under the influence (DUI)
California Vehicle Code (CVC) 23612, “implied consent for chemical testing,”
requires a blood or breath chemical test when a person is lawfully arrested for DUI
involving drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol. The urine chemical test is only
permitted under the following conditions:

Anyone convicted of possessing, selling, or manufacturing illegal drugs will be subject to a 6-month suspension of their driving privilege.

You can be found to be driving while impaired when it is shown that your driving was adversely affected by prescription and/or over-the-counter drugs.

Do not mix alcohol with your medications. This applies to both prescribed and over-the-counter medications.

Remember, even though you may feel fine, you many not be totally free of the adverse effects that can affect your driving. It is ultimately YOUR responsibility to know the effects of the medication you take.

If you must take a medication before driving, find out the effects of the medication from your physician or pharmacist. Read the labels on common medications you take and follow the warnings. Any drug that "may cause drowsiness or dizziness" is one that you should not take before driving. All medications, prescription and over-the-counter, are potentially dangerous.

The fact that a drug is nonprescription does not make its effects any less dangerous or illegal. Other over-the-counter medications that can impair driving ability include:

Using nonprescription over-the-counter drugs while driving, such as those used to treat allergies and drowsiness and many cough syrups (which often contain alcohol), can result in your being arrested for DUI.

Energy pills, "uppers," and diet pills can make a driver more alert for a short time. Later, however, they can cause a person to become nervous, dizzy, and not able to concentrate. They can also negatively affect vision.

Over-the-counter medicines that you take for colds and allergies can make you drowsy and affect your driving ability. Carefully read and follow the directions about dosage and side effects. Pay close attention to warnings about continued dosage and who should and should not take the medication.

The fact that a doctor prescribed the drug does not make its effects any less dangerous or illegal. Narcotics such as codeine, Demerol, and other pain killers can cause drowsiness, a stupor like condition, a false sense of well being, and poor coordination. All of these effects can seriously impair driving ability.

Under no circumstances should you mix medications unless directed by your physician. You should never take medications prescribed for someone else.

You can be found to be driving while impaired and convicted of DUI with any amount of illegal drugs in your system. Unlike alcohol, there is no legally acceptable level of use when it comes to drugs (it is important to remember that there is no safe level of alcohol use when driving because impairment occurs at even the lowest levels).

Depressants such as sleeping pills, tranquilizers and barbiturates can cause drowsiness, the inability to stay awake, slowed reactions, and poor coordination. All of these effects are dangerous when you are behind the wheel.

Stimulants such as speed, methamphetamine, crack, and cocaine can cause a false sense of well being, difficulty in concentrating, aggressiveness, chronic paranoia, and impatience. As well as being illegal, these types of effects can lead to erratic, aggressive behavior and dangerous driving situations. Illegal stimulants can cause the same problems as prescription stimulants, but with much greater intensity.

Stimulants can give users a false sense of well-being and make them think that they are super-alert. These drugs often cause drivers to take foolish and life-threatening risks. When the effect of stimulants wears off, which can be very suddenly, users can become very tired quickly. This could cause drivers to lose concentration and alertness and place them in a dangerous situation.

Marijuana

Marijuana causes drowsiness, can distort your sense of time and space, and impairs your ability to adapt to light and dark. If you possess, possess for sale, transport or offer to transport, import into California, sell, furnish, administer or give away marijuana, the court will order a revocation of your driver license. Also, providing marijuana or inducing its use by a minor, hiring or employing a minor for the purpose of transporting, carrying, selling, giving away, preparing for sale or peddling marijuana will also result in revocation.

The court will also order a one-year suspension of your driving privilege if you are under 21 years of age but 13 years of age or older and are convicted of a drug related offense.

Marijuana affects people's awareness of how fast they are driving and their ability to judge time and space. It also tends to affect individuals concentration. That is, the impaired driver tends to concentrate on one thing at a time, ignoring all else around them. A good driver must be able to observe his surroundings and make sound decisions when driving a vehicle. This becomes difficult, if not impossible, when under the influence of marijuana.

Effects of Use

Within a few minutes of inhaling marijuana smoke, users likely experience dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, some loss of coordination and poor sense of balance, and slower reaction times, along with intoxication. Blood vessels in the eye expand. For some people, marijuana raises blood pressure slightly and can double the normal heart rate. This effect can be greater when other drugs are mixed with marijuana. Research also has documented the following chronic or long-term effects of marijuana use.

Effects on the Brain

THC suppresses the neurons in the information-processing system of the hippocampus, the part of the brain that is crucial for learning, memory, and the integration of sensory experiences with emotions and motivation. Researchers have discovered that learned behaviors, which depend on the hippocampus, deteriorate after chronic exposure to THC. Chronic abuse of marijuana also is associated with impaired attention and memory, while prenatal exposure to marijuana is associated with impaired verbal reasoning and memory in preschool children. Of possible relevance are findings from animal studies showing that chronic exposure to THC damages and destroys nerve cells and causes other pathological changes in the hippocampus.

Effects on the Respiratory System

Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers have. These individuals may have daily cough and phlegm, symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and more frequent chest colds.

Continuing to smoke marijuana can lead to abnormal functioning of the lungs and airways. Scientists have found signs of lung tissue injured or destroyed by marijuana smoke.

Marijuana

Marijuana affects many skills required for safe driving: alertness, the ability to concentrate, coordination, and reaction time. These effects can last up to 24 hours after smoking marijuana. Marijuana use can make it difficult to judge distances and react to signals and sounds on the road.

There are data showing that marijuana can play a role in crashes. When users combine marijuana with alcohol, as they often do, the hazards of driving can be more severe than with either drug alone.

A study of patients in a shock-trauma unit who had been in traffic accidents revealed that 15 percent of those who had been driving a car or motorcycle had been smoking marijuana, and another 17 percent had both THC and alcohol in their blood.

In one study conducted in Memphis, TN, researchers found that, of 150 reckless drivers who were tested for drugs at the arrest scene, 33 percent tested positive for marijuana, and 12 percent tested positive for both marijuana and cocaine.

Data also show that while smoking marijuana, people show the same lack of coordination on standard "drunk driver" tests as do people who have had too much to drink .

Marijuana and the Brain

Narcotics

Narcotics such as heroin can cause stupor, coma, and death, slow your reaction time, cause visual distortions and impair you motor skills. Narcotics cause an inability to concentrate, apathy, euphoria, stupor, dimness of vision, drowsiness and nausea. A driver's mind will wander and will have lapses in consciousness. Decision making process will become distorted. It is therefore difficult for narcotic-impaired drivers to make quick decisions about developing traffic situations.

Hallucinogens such as LSD (acid), mescaline, PCP (angel dust), and peyote can cause visual, auditory or tactile hallucinations that distort your ability to detect hazards and impair your judgment. These drugs can create a perception of super strength and invulnerability, and cause aggressive behavior.

Hallucinogens produce hallucinations that can interfere with vision, perception and hearing. That is, the user experiences images and sounds that do not truly exist These drugs can cause drivers to lose the ability to judge space and the speed at which they are driving. Additionally, the hallucinations can produce erratic and dangerous driving on the part of the impaired driver.

Combining illegal, prescription, or over-the-counter drugs with other drugs or alcohol may impair your vision, judgment, and reaction time far greater than you would expect from taking the same drugs individually. This stronger, combined (synergistic) effect can seriously impair safe driving ability.

Combining different drugs, or drugs and alcohol, can enhance some of the dangerous side effects of many drugs, even those that are prescribed by a physician or purchased over-the-counter. This can result in even more driving impairment. Many drugs have unexpected side effects when they are taken with alcohol. Drugs and alcohol should never be used at the same time.

Avoiding Impaired Driving

You can avoid driving while impaired by:

The goal of the "designated driver" approach to dealing with drinking and driving is to encourage one individual within a group to abstain from consuming alcoholic beverages during an outing so that he or she can be responsible for driving the other members of the group safely. Many licensed eating and drinking establishments participate in the designated driver program by providing complimentary nonalcoholic beverages to the designated driver.

To serve as a designated driver you:

The highest incidence of DUI begins in the late afternoon, continues through the early hours of the morning and is greater on weekends. DUI peak times are from 10:00 p.m to 2:00 a.m. This is due to the fact that many persons begin drinking after work and on outings during the weekend, especially in the evening.

Intoxicated drivers may drive at unreasonably fast or slow speeds, make frequent and unnecessary lane changes, pass and change lanes erratically, follow too closely, overshoot or ignore stop signs and signals, including stopping at green lights, weave, fail to turn on or dim headlights, straddle lanes, and have difficulty negotiating curves.

It is important to keep a safe distance between your vehicle and that of a suspected intoxicated driver. This may require you to pull over to let them pass by. Remember that it is safer to have an impaired driver in front of you rather than behind you. If possible, you should notify law enforcement of a suspected drunk driver. Many communities have drunk driver hotlines. You should become familiar with the number in your area.

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