A 4-minute lesson from the New York course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
In New York State, more than 40 percent of all motor vehicle deaths involve impaired driving. Alcohol weakens exactly the skills you need to drive, and it also makes you worse at noticing that your driving has gotten worse.
Alcohol:
Delays your reaction time
Reduces your ability to see clearly
Changes your judgment of speed and distance
Often makes you less inhibited and more likely to take chances
Reduces your ability to recover from headlight glare
Drinking and driving after dark is especially dangerous: your vision is already limited at night, and alcohol can leave you blinded by oncoming headlights for a long time.
You don't have to look or feel intoxicated to be affected. The effects begin with the first drink, long before you're legally impaired, and alcohol makes it hard to judge your own condition.
Your BAC does NOT depend on the type of drink, how fit you are, or how well you can "hold your liquor." It's the amount of alcohol, not whether it's beer, wine or liquor, that raises your BAC.
Women generally take longer to process and remove alcohol, which can mean a higher BAC for longer. Body weight makes some difference, but no one is immune to alcohol's effects.
The only effective way to lower your BAC is to stop drinking and let time pass. Coffee, exercise and cold showers may help you stay awake but can't change your BAC or make you sober.
At a party you have three 12-ounce beers in an hour and then a coffee. For a 150-lb man, three drinks add about .06, and roughly one drink's worth leaves per hour. The coffee changes nothing. Only time will lower your BAC, so arrange another ride.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
What three factors does your BAC depend on?
Drink type, fitness level, and tolerance
Amount, time between drinks, body weight
Drink type, amount, and your age
Amount, food eaten, and your mood
Answer: Amount, time between drinks, body weight
Your BAC depends on how much alcohol you drink, how much time passes between drinks, and your weight.