Drunk Driving

Amy Berning is a senior researcher at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and an expert on alcohol-impaired driving.

Alcohol-impaired driving is one of America's most commonly committed and deadliest crimes. In 2004, 42,639 people died on our Nation's roadways. Thirty-nine percent of these deaths were alcohol-related. That's an average of one alcohol-related motor vehicle crash every 31 minutes. The December holiday season can be a dangerous time for traffic fatalities, especially around the Christmas and New Year's holidays. In this discussion, Amy Berning will discuss the issue of alcohol-impaired driving and high visibility enforcement methods that are being utilized to save lives and keep drunk drivers off the roads.

During this discussion, Amy took questions and comments about drinking and driving during the holiday season.

The transcript follows.

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Amy Berning: Hi, this is Amy. I'm glad to be here and let's chat.

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Washington: With all the holiday parties, it's tough to not drink. Is it okay to just have one or two before driving?

Amy Berning: That's a great question. It's important to know that impairment can begin with just one drink. All states now have .08 BAC (blood alcohol concentration) per se laws which means that a person can be arrested for DWI if their BAC is at or above .08. However, if a person's driving shows signs of impairment, and an officer has probable cause, a person can be arrested at a lower BAC.

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Montgomery Village, Md.: Someone in my family was killed by a drunk driver many years ago, but the problem doesn't seem to be lessening. What can we do to keep drunks off the road?

Amy Berning: I'm very sorry about the death of your family member. We work everyday to reduce those numbers so that other families won't suffer the loss that you did. The number of alcohol-related crash deaths has decreased substantially over the past 20 years. However, despite our progress, over 16,000 people died in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes last year. Highly publicized and highly visible enforcement has been shown to decrease alcohol-related crashes. We need to send a strong message that impaired drivers will be seen by police, will be arrested and will face swift and certain penalties.

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Florida: What's really going to keep drunk drivers off the road? Besides fines, which I'm not sure is much of a deterrent, can taking away people's cars be enough of a threat?

Amy Berning: I'm glad you asked about deterrence. Our goal is to build awareness and to encourage people to make the right decision before they drive impaired - that's why we promote highly publicized and highly visible DWI enforcement efforts, such as sobriety checkpoints. We want people to make alternative plans before they begin drinking - either a cab ride home, staying overnight at a friend's, etc. Regarding penalties, suspending drivers' licenses can be effective. Impounding cars is another alternative.

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Atlanta, Ga.: I have a friend who can drink a ton and still seem perfectly fine. Me, I'm tipsy after a couple. Do some people have a higher tolerance or hold their liquor better than others?

Amy Berning: A person's BAC (blood alcohol concentration) is based on a number of factors. These include the number of drinks and how fast the alcohol was consumed. Other factors include the person's gender, weight, and amount of food in the stomach. Because of all these factors, it's hard to self-assess your own impairment. And although someone may say that are "OK to drive" after several drinks -- errors in judgment is a typical symptom of impairment.

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Frederick, Md.: Friends have always told me that drinking beer doesn't affect a driver as much as hard liquor. Is this true?

Amy Berning: I'm glad you asked that as a lot of people think the same thing. Actually, "a drink is a drink is a drink" - and approximately the same amount of alcohol will be found in one shot of distilled spirits, or one five-ounce glass or wine, or one 12-ounce beer.

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Gettysburg, Penn.: Not to sound biased, but I've always noticed that liquor seems to hit women faster and harder than men. Does alcohol affect women differently than men?

Amy Berning: It can. A person's BAC (blood alcohol concentration) can vary based on a number of factors - and you're right - gender is one of them. Women typically have less water and more body fat per pound of body weight than men. And alcohol does not go into fat cells as easily as other cells, so more alcohol remains in the blood of women.

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Vermont: I drink regularly, but will always get a sober ride home. What percentage of NHTSA's "alcohol-related" accidents actually involve drunk drivers? It is my understanding that an accident will be categorized as "alcohol related" if an involved passenger or pedestrian has been drinking. Is the government really representing the true numbers of drunk drivers or pandering to MADD's neo-prohibitionist agenda?

Amy Berning: The great majority of alcohol-related crash deaths involve a driver over the legal limit. In 2004, 86 percent of the 16,694 alcohol-related fatalities involved at least one driver who had a blood alcohol concentration of more than .08, the legal limit in every state.

NHTSA counts a crash as alcohol related if a driver - or someone else who could have caused the crash - a pedestrian or bicyclist - had a positive blood alcohol concentration. We do not count a crash as alcohol related if only a passenger had been drinking.

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Arlington, Va.: I have a mustache, and when I drink from a glass the alcohol soaks into it. I recently got pulled over and accused of drinking and driving because the fuzz smelt the suds on my stache. Other than shaving ... any suggestions?

Amy Berning: Well, I doubt you were pulled over because of the mustache. The officer would've needed a driving-related reason to initiate the stop. So I suggest maybe you not drink and drive. And keep the "stache"!

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Amy! I think it is completely irresponsible for the District of Columbia to not keep the Metro running later than it does. Everyone knows that the party doesn't stop at 2:00 a.m. Most D.C. clubs don't close until 3:00 a.m. or later. I really wish city officials could take a trip to Germany and see how a real metro is run!

Amy Berning: We agree that alternative transportation is needed after partying and drinking. In the Washington, D.C., area, we have the benefit of the SoberCab program which provides free cab rides home until January 1. SoberCab's number is 1-800-200-TAXI

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McLean, Va.: When I was a student at Va. Tech, my roommates and I witnessed a pedestrian get hit by a car on a Friday night. He walked out from one of the rows of cars that line the streets in downtown Blacksburg and never bothered to look out for cars in the road. The girl that hit him was hysterical and a bunch of people ran up to try to help them out. It wasn't the prettiest scene, and as it turns out, he died a few days later in the hospital. The driver was never charged, so my guess is that the kid was drunk and probably not paying attention to his surroundings. I just remember thinking that maybe he was trying to be responsible by not driving that night. It's easy for people to understand how drinking and driving are a bad mix, but how can you try to prevent pedestrian-caused accidents that involve alcohol and vehicles?

Amy Berning: You raise a good point. In 2004, a total of 1,570 pedestrians were killed in alcohol-related crashes. In two-thirds of these cases, it was a driver who had the positive blood alcohol concentration. But in the other third, it was the pedestrian who had the blood alcohol concentration above .08.

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Washington, D.C.: Just a warning to others working in government and contracting. I was denied my security clearance because of a DUI and I lost a high paying job because I couldn't get cleared. It does happen ... even to "professionals" like me for whom this sort of thing is very uncharacteristic. Big price to pay for one night of bad judgment.

Amy Berning: That's a good point - thanks for letting others know. It's important for everyone to know that DWI arrests can impact both the driver, family, and friends, in many long-term ways.

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Vienna, Va.: What can we do if we see a driver on the road and we suspect that they are drunk?

Amy Berning: We can use all the help we can get - this is everyone's problem. You should call your local law enforcement agency (you can carry their number in your car). If you don't know your local number, call 911 and report the incident. Make sure to give as complete information as possible regarding the location, vehicle, and driver. You'll want to pull over to the side of the road first before you make the call.

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Rosslyn, Va.: I've read a little on those breathalyzers that are hooked up to the car ignition and they seem like a great idea. Do you think we'll start seeing them required by law anytime soon?

Amy Berning: Ignition interlocks can be an effective strategy to keep convicted DWI offenders from driving their cars -- when the ignition interlock device is installed. However, research has shown that recurrence rates often go back up after the devices are removed. We are studying the optimal period of time that the devices should be used. Many jurisdictions throughout the country allow the use of interlocks for repeat DWI offenders, and New Mexico this year became the first state to require interlocks for first-offenders as well. We are studying the effectiveness of NM's law.

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Arlington, Va.: In the U.K., the issue of drunk driving is taken far more seriously. Police have check points where they can administer random breathalyzers, and if a person is found to be over the limit, they are given an automatic one year ban on driving. A friend of mine found it almost impossible to get insurance after he was caught drunk driving. These may sound draconian measures, but the effects are positive. There is a huge stigma that exists for drinking and driving. Young people simply do not think it is acceptable for friends to drive. And people are much more accepting of alternatives, e.g. drinking non alcoholic drinks, taking taxis. In fact when I came to live here I was shocked (as my ex pat friends are) by the general social acceptance of drinking and driving. could this country adopt similar measures? Why don't they? And why isn't there the same stigma attached to this behavior as in the U.K.?

Amy Berning: Things are a lot better in the U.S. than they used to be. For example, in 1982 there were were nearly 10,000 more alcohol-related crash deaths than in 2004. Over the past 25 years, penalties and law enforcement here in the U.S. have increased dramatically and the social stigma of drunk driving is now much different than it once was. But we have a long way to go. We're all going to have to work together to get the problem under control as well as in some other countries.

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Durham, N.C.: "Well, I doubt you were pulled over because of the mustache. The officer would've needed a driving-related reason to initiate the stop."

I've read this and heard this so many times people actually believe it. An officer's choice to pull you is based on a subjective reading of your driving behavior. Did you stop too quickly? Did you swerve? Did you slow down when you should have sped up? etc. He/she is the only one to decide. You could be lost or momentarily blinded by another's lights or changing radio stations or taking a swig from your coke. Last I checked none of those is illegal. If the cop wants to pull you he can find a reason. You may have had a drink and be perfectly sober and simply caught up one officer's subjective application of the rules.

Amy Berning: Officers are trained to identify driving cues (including some of the things you mentioned). Officers are also trained to conduct standardized field sobriety tests which have proved to be highly effective. Breath tests are also typically given before a DWI arrest is made.

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Washington, D.C.: I heard that some states let the police draw blood to test for alcohol, even if the person doesn't want to give it. Is that really true?

Amy Berning: All states have some form of implied consent laws, which means that when you get a driver's license from a state you are consenting to provide a breath, blood, or urine sample when lawfully requested. Some states do seek a search warrant when a suspect refuses to provide a breath test.

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Arlington, Va.: Amy,

What is affected first when drinking: speech motor skills, physical stamina, or reasoning ability?

Thanks.

Amy Berning: As blood alcohol concentration increases, most people first experience some loss of judgment and muscle control. At higher levels, reaction time slows and speech begins to slur.

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Martinsville, Va.: What time of day is an alcohol related crash most likely to occur?

Amy Berning: The rate of alcohol involvement in crashes is more than 3 times higher at night than during the day (60% vs 18%). The largest percentage of alcohol-related fatal crashes typically occur between midnight and 3 am.

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Amy Berning: Thanks for the great questions. Enjoy the holidays but be sensible. Please don't drink and drive, and remember to buckle up!

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