12-31-07

Drunk driving

Driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs kills about 17,000 people in the United States annually. 

Each year, about 250,000 people are injured in alcohol-related accidents.  Ronald Kanwischer, substance abuse counselor at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, explains the alcohol level at which drivers are considered intoxicated.

SOUND BITE: “. . . in Illinois right now, it is .08 and this is pretty much all the states are moving this way.  And the amount of alcohol it might take for you to reach that blood alcohol level is different for men and women.  For men it may take as many as four or five cans of beer or four or five mixed drinks to reach that level.  For women, it may take only three or four to reach that limit because they handle alcohol differently than we do.” 

Kanwischer says there are serious legal consequences for driving under the influence.  The most serious charges can carry a fine, which can be very expensive.  If the driver hurts another person, they can be sentenced to jail.  A person might even lose their license.  He explains some ways to lessen the effects of alcohol.

SOUND BITE: “One of the probably simplest things you can do is if you do chose to drink, eat before you do that.  Drink slowly – have maybe one drink an hour.  And learn to recognize when you, yourself are impaired.  One of the interesting phenomenons that happens is that we are less likely to recognize when we are impaired than someone else might be, so ask somebody you trust whether they think you are impaired enough to drive.”

Kanwischer urges people to celebrate responsibly.  If you drink, don’t drive.  Designate a sober driver, take a taxicab or mass transit or plan to spend the night at your celebration site.

This is Ruth Slottag at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.