The holidays are coming and with that comes lots of parties, drinks and unfortunately driving. It’s important for you and your loved ones to know that driving even after one drink, is extremely dangerous.
A “buzzed” driver is a person who has blood alcohol level between .01 and .07.
According to a study from the University of California, San Diego published in ‘Injury Prevention’, which looked at 570,731 fatal accidents which occurred between the years 1994 and 2011, driving after having only one alcoholic drink can be a danger.
The legal U.S. intoxication limit is a blood alcohol level of .08. The study found that people with a blood alcohol level of only .01 were 46% more likely to be officially responsible for an automobile crash compared with the sober drivers in the collision.
According to the researchers, not only can one single drink impair driving skills and reduce reaction times, but it is more likely that these drivers will speed and forget to use their seat belts.
The main author of the study, David Phillips, notes that buzzed drivers are generally not punished any more severely than their sober counterparts. It is most probably only a matter of time until the legal limit will be lowered as it has been in many other countries.
