| It maybe a relief to know that as per NHTSA's | | | | The portion of the brain, which controls muscular |
| National Center for Statistics and Analysis, alcohol | | | | movement is affected severely by alcohol intake. |
| related accidents have reduced from 60% during | | | | That automatically means that your muscles lose |
| 1982 to 39% during 2005. However, it is also a | | | | their sense of coordination, which can be highly |
| reality that three out of every ten US citizens is | | | | risky and fatal in a driving scenario. Your response |
| going to be involved in an accident related to | | | | times get slower and you stop being able to |
| drunk driving. | | | | gauge and react to situations in a timely manner. |
| Drinking and driving kills | | | | If a vehicle is approaching you at a high speed, |
| The government has set the legal limit to drive at | | | | you would not be able to apply the brakes in time |
| 21 years. Anyone below that age and found to | | | | or swerve the vehicle away from the road. If a |
| have even negligible amounts of alcohol in their | | | | police officer suspects you have been drinking, he |
| blood will still be penalized as per law. Even | | | | or she will ask you to go through a breath |
| persons below 21 years having BAC levels of just | | | | analyzer test. |
| 0.01 or 0.02% are punishable under law. Every 2 | | | | Alarming statistics: the danger of drunk driving |
| minutes a person in the US gets injured because | | | | It may sound shocking but it is a fact that over |
| of drunken driving. Considering such an alarming | | | | 327000 persons get injured every year because |
| statistic, it is not surprising that the US | | | | of drunk driving. In California alone, the percentage |
| government has such tough laws dealing with | | | | of fatal collisions from drunk driving increased by |
| alcoholic injuries. | | | | 18.4% during 2000 and 2005. No wonder then |
| Shocking effects on the body | | | | that California has one of the toughest laws |
| If an Alcohol Test shows a BAC level of 0.08 or | | | | against drunk driving. A fine anywhere between |
| more it indicates a ‘drunk' state as per legal | | | | 390 to 1000 dollars can be slapped on a person |
| terms. During such a condition the body | | | | with BAC levels above normal. |
| undergoes many side-effects such as the inability | | | | For repeat offenders, the vehicle can be |
| to perceive objects properly, making errors in | | | | impounded for even 2 years. During 2005 alone, |
| judgment and even losing one's peripheral vision. | | | | out of all children who died in motor crashes, 21% |
| As soon as one consumes more than one drink, | | | | of them were 14 years of age and below and |
| the brain is the first to pick up alcohol. This | | | | died because of drunk driving. The same year it |
| happens because the brain contains the largest | | | | was found that the most number of drunk driving |
| supply of blood, compared to all other organs of | | | | cases happened by persons aged between 21 and |
| the body. | | | | 24 years of age. |