A blood-alcohol content ("BAC") of more than 0.08 percent in Gwinnett County -- and everywhere else in the United States -- is considered drunk driving. Some traffic safety advocates and researchers think it should be substantially lower. Some even argue that consuming any alcohol at all before driving -- even several hours prior to getting behind the wheel -- should be illegal.
Such views cite support from studies such as the one just released in the journal Addiction, in which two demographers from the University of California, San Diego, conclude that one drink increases car accident risks. The researchers further state that vehicle crashes involving drivers with even minimal amounts of alcohol in their blood are generally more serious than those featuring a completely sober driver.
The researchers examined database material regarding fatal accident statistics from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, which tracks all vehicle accidents nationally in which at least one person has died. The focal point of inquiry centered on the nexus between BAC and the seriousness of crashes.
The most noteworthy conclusion: Generally, the tiniest bit of alcohol consumption -- even one beer nursed by a 180-pound man over two hours, i.e., a 0.01 percent BAC -- plays into the severity of crashes, making them close to 40 percent more serious than in cases where the driver was sober.
As to why that is the case, the researchers state that people who drink even minimal amounts tend to driver faster than those who do not, and they are less apt to wear a seat belt.
The study authors say that the usefulness of their research is "in providing empirical research for lowering the legal BAC even more."
Related Resource: Time, "Driving While Buzzed: No Amount of Alcohol is Safe Behind the Wheel" June 22, 2011
