Drunk-driving is responsible for one-third of all traffic-related deaths, with young adults, motorcyclists, and those with previous convictions at highest risk. Alcohol stays in the blood for an hour per ounce consumed, reducing reaction time and causing injuries such as head trauma, hypovolemic shock, and damage to internal organs. Prevention methods include education, sobriety checkpoints, and severe consequences for breaking the law.
Drunk-driving deaths make up about one-third of all traffic-related deaths. Those at highest risk include young adults under the age of 24, motorcyclists, and those with previous drunk driving convictions. The cause of death from drunk driving depends on the type of injury. Concussions to the head, blood loss from massive cuts, or damage to internal organs can occur in a traffic accident.
Alcohol stays in the blood until the liver processes it, which takes about an hour for one ounce (about 30 mL) of alcohol consumed; in those with compromised livers, however, it can take much longer. A blood alcohol concentration test measures how much of a person’s current blood supply is made up of alcohol. A reading of 0.08 percent, the point at which driving becomes illegal in much of the United States, means the person’s blood contains one-eighth of one percent alcohol. While this may not seem like much, it is enough to reduce your reaction time, which can lead to DUI fatalities.
The impact of a traffic accident can cause numerous types of injuries. Head trauma, for example, can occur if you’re hit by flying debris or if you hit the steering wheel or other hard surface. Victims can go into hypovolemic shock, a condition that occurs when the body loses too much fluid, such as through blood loss, and the heart can no longer pump efficiently. If emergency personnel don’t arrive in time to begin replacing lost fluids, victims can die from blood loss. Injury to internal organs can be caused by either blunt force trauma, such as the steering column hitting the abdomen, or impalement, such as a sharp shard of glass piercing through the abdominal cavity into one of the organs.
Young adults are often at a higher risk of causing and suffering a drink-driving death than older adults with the same amount of alcohol in their bloodstream. There are numerous possible reasons for this, including a lack of driving experience in young adults compared to older adults. Young adults are also more likely to travel in groups, which increases the level of distraction while driving. Those with a previous history of drunk driving, as well as those who have mixed other drugs or medications with alcohol, are also at a higher risk of causing an accident.
Most countries have laws relating to drinking and driving, although the legal definition of “drunk” varies. Some countries, including Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Russia, have a zero-tolerance policy, meaning it’s illegal to drive with any amount of alcohol in your blood. The 0.08 percent limit in the United States, Mexico and some other counties is the highest legal limit in the world.
Methods for preventing drink-driving deaths include educating the public about the problem, setting up sobriety checkpoints along roads and highways, and imposing severe consequences, such as loss of license or jail time , for those who break the law. Individuals can also help keep the roads safe by not driving after consuming alcohol and by preventing friends and family from driving while intoxicated.
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