If you are like many other Americans, you may enjoy going out for dinner and drinks or spending an evening out on the town. When doing so, many people choose to designate a driver as a person who will refrain from drinking alcohol and ensure everyone gets home safely. Yet, while many people trust the designated driver to stay sober and be a safe form of transportation, some DDs do not meet up to these standards.
A study released in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs reported that at least 40% of designated drivers have had alcohol at some point in the evening before climbing behind the wheel. In some cases, the designated drivers had consumed enough alcohol to cause an impaired ability to drive. Approximately 18% of designated drivers tested in the study had a blood alcohol content level of 0.05% or higher. Although the legal limit is 0.08% in most states, drivers show impairments in as little as 0.02%.
With a BAC level of 0.05%, drivers’ vision may become blurry and it can become difficult to see. Drivers may lose their ability to make good, safe decisions when driving and may engage in dangerous driving behaviors. They may be unable to respond quickly to pedestrians, bicyclists, traffic lights, other drivers and objects in the road. Rather than get everyone home safe, designated drivers with this amount of alcohol in their blood can put other people in danger and may cause a catastrophic car accident.
This information is intended to educate and should not be taken as legal advice.
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