Nothing Kills a Buzz Like a DUI Arrest
Buzzed driving is defined as operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .01 to .07. A driver is technically under the legal limit, but operating a vehicle can be just as dangerous as driving while drunk.
One recent study found that drivers who were “minimally buzzed” or “buzzed” were often to blame for fatal accidents. The term minimally buzzed includes drivers who had a BAC of .01, which is well within the legal limit. Researchers examined more than 570,000 fatal accidents between 1994 and 2011. The results: Drinking and driving with any alcohol level leads to more severe accidents. The study focused on drivers with a BAC between .01 and .07%. The results showed that drivers with a BAC of .01% were 46% more likely to be blamed for crashes than the other drivers involved in the collisions. The higher the BAC, the more often the drivers were blamed in crashes.
If you’re going to drink, always:
- Plan a safe way home before the party begins
- Designate a sober driver and leave your car keys at home
- Use a taxi or public transportation
Sources: CDC, buzzeddriving.adcouncil.org
Lifelong poetic justice license-holder. Unapologetic cat lover. A former newspaper editor and co-founder of HealthDiscovery.org, Ellen was the Director of Corporate Communications for national employee benefits broker Corporate Synergies before retiring in 2020. She developed corporate messaging, oversaw media relations, and wrote and edited articles for the company’s blog, The Knowledge Center.