Effects of alcohol
Alcohol is a drug that affects overall driving ability. Alcohol may make a motorist overconfident and unable to think clearly. Motorists who drink may make more mistakes. Even if a motorist thinks he/she is below the level of legal intoxication, alcohol will affect driving. Drinking even a small amount of alcohol increases a motorist’s chances of having an accident. Never drink and drive.
Driving under the influence of intoxicating beverages means that a driver’s senses and judgment are impaired by alcohol. After two, three or four drinks, alcohol begins to impair reaction time, coordination and balance. Vision and the ability to judge distance are affected, making it more difficult to react and to drive safely. The only thing that can make a person sober is time. The body removes alcohol slowly. The liver oxidizes (burns up) 90 percent of the alcohol. The other 10 percent is eliminated in breath, urine and sweat. This fact is the prime reason why sober-up-quick methods do not work.
In addition, studies have proven conclusively that a combination of alcohol and anger is responsible for much of the reckless, aggressive driving that can cause fatal highway accidents. While most alcohol-related collisions involve only one vehicle, they frequently result in the death or serious injury of numerous people, including passengers, pedestrians and other motorists.
