We all think a mere glass of wine is harmless. Actually, they even say it´s good for your health. But not when you are driving.  Even the minimum amount of alcohol in your bloodstream is enough to affect your driving skills.  With just one drink you are already intoxicated.  Alcohol is a psychoactive substance that affects your central nervous system and acts in your body, altering all actions and reactions required to drive. 

EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL

• Reduces your brain´s abilities 
• Difficults processing information
• Slows your reflexes
• Alters your visual perception 
• Causes drowsiness 
• Decreases your attention 
• Reduces your concentration
• Inhibits your rational decision
• Lowers your coordination 
• Slows your reaction time
• Generates a false sense of security
• In one word, alcohol leads your judgment and mental functions as well as your physical reactions to decline.

LEVELS OF ALCOHOL

Blood/Breath Alcohol Concentration (BAC) is the amount of alcohol in a person´s blood and it is used to measure the de level of intoxication for legal or medical purposes; it can be quantified only minutes after you consume your first drink with a Breathalyser or a blood sample. Laws in 50 states and according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a driver is legally impaired when their BAC is 0.08% or higher.  

¿HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

A single beer or a generous glass of wine may cause driving impairment, although there are certain factors that affect BAC reading, including individual differences in size, weight, and metabolism, age, gender, rate of consumption, drink strength, body type, fat/muscle content, metabolism, hydration, emotional state, medications you are on, food consumed, alcohol tolerance, general health, percentage of alcohol in the drink, and the container size.

¿WHO DRINKS AND DRIVES?

In general, this is de psychological profile of a person who drives under the influence of alcohol:

• Irresponsible personality
• Violates social norms
• Have absence of regrets
• Indifferent to the fact that could or might have hurt, mistreated or robbed someone
• Minimizes the harmful consequences of such a behavior
• Makes decisions thoughtlessly according to the moment, without thinking about them first

DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT

Neither coffee, tea, stimulants, chewing gum nor using mouthwash cancel or disguises the alcohol effects. Alcohol lasts in your system:

• Blood:  up to 6 hours
• Breath: 12 – 24 hours
• Urine: 12 – 24 hours
• Saliva: 12 – 24 hours
• Hair: 90 days

RECOMMENDATIONS

Do not drink and drive. If you have plans to have a night of fun, you should previously designate a driver.  If you are already drinking, call a cab. Avoid dangerous situations, hide the keys. And for long driving journeys to relocate your vehicle, just call one of the representatives at M&M VEHICLE TRANSPORT for a free quote 877 957 4878.