‘Tis the season for good tidings, joy, and a few (or seven) cups of eggnog to get you through yet another family holiday party. You might be thinking, as long as you manage not to end up in the hospital for chugging eggnog at a lightning speed (which did, in fact, happen to one poor soul), that you’re home free. But if you planned on driving home after that eggnog, you should think again.
We all know that drunk driving is not a good idea; there’s no point in lecturing any reasonable adult drivers about the dangers of driving while intoxicated. But it’s easy to get in the habit of driving home after having one drink at the bar, and then again after having two, and then the next week after having three, and pretty soon you start feeling rather confident in your abilities to determine just how much alcohol is too much before you’re at the legal limit.
The obvious answer is that any amount of alcohol in your system is too much, when it comes to getting behind the wheel. In fact, in states with Zero Tolerance drunk driving laws, you can be charged with a minor offense, for driving under the influence, for having BAC (blood alcohol content) level as low as .01% or .02%.
That being said, everyone’s body metabolizes alcohol at different speeds, and plenty of other factors (like if/how you food you’ve eaten, how much water you’ve drank, how quickly you consumed the alcoholic drinks) determine how drunk you could become.
Right now, more so than at any other time of the year, cops are on the prowl for drunk drivers, and many states even permit the use of DWI traffic stops to catch people who are driving under the influence before they cause any harm or damage. And even for a minor drunk driving infraction, the punishments could include hefty fines, a loss of your driving privileges, and possibly even some jail time.
Everyone makes mistakes, and it’s easy to miscalculate it long it will take for your body to metabolize alcohol, but in general, if someone asks if you’re alright to drive and your answer is something like “I’m not really sure…” then the correct answer is probably “No.” It’s important to have fun with family and friends during such a special season, but being safe is even more important. Helpful info also found here.