The Pulse - DECEMBER  2005

Welcome! The Pulse is an online health and wellness journal created to bring readers a comprehensive view into today's most important topics. We hope you enjoy The Pulse and that the informaton you find here will lead to a healthier life for you, your friends and family.

How much is too much

Alcohol affects individuals differently. Your blood alcohol level may be affected by your age, gender, physical condition, amount of food consumed and any drugs or medication. In addition, different drinks may contain different amounts of alcohol, so it's important to know how much and the concentration of alcohol you consume.

For purposes of this guide, "one drink" is equal to 1.5 oz. of 80 proof liquor, 12 oz. of regular beer, or 5 oz. of table wine.

A woman drinking an equal amount of alcohol in the same period of time as a man of an equivalent weight may have a higher blood alcohol level than that man.

Some states have set .08% Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) as the legal limit for Driving Under the Influence. For commercial drivers, a BAC of .04% can result in a DUI conviction nationwide.

• At BACs as low as 0.02 percent, alcohol affects driving ability and crash likelihood. The probability of a crash begins to increase significantly at 0.05 percent BAC and climbs rapidly after about 0.08 percent. (Zador, Krawchuk, and Voas, 2000)
• The latest research shows that .08 laws not only reduce the incidence of impaired driving at lower BACs, they also reduce the incidence of impaired driving at higher BAC levels (i.e., .15 BAC or higher). (NHTSA, 2003)
• The results of nearly 300 studies reviewed have shown that, at .08 BAC, virtually all drivers are impaired, which includes critical driving tasks such as divided attention, complex relation time, steering, lane changing, and judgment. (NHTSA, 2003)
• Virtually all drivers, even experienced drinkers, are significantly impaired at .08 BAC. (NHTSA, 2003)
• Nationwide in 2003, a total of 17,616 fatally injured drivers had known BAC test results out of a total of 26,640, or 66 percent. For surviving drivers, BAC test results were known on 7,705 out of 31,516 drivers, or 24 percent. Overall in 2003, FARS received BAC test results on a total of 25,321 drivers out of 58,156 involved in fatal crashes, or 44 percent. (NHTSA, 2004)
• Over four out of five (83 percent) persons of driving age have heard of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels, but only 27 percent can correctly identify the legal BAC limit for their state. (Gallup Organization, 2003)
• For drivers age 35 and older with BACs at or above 0.15 percent on weekend nights, the likelihood of being killed in a single-vehicle crash is more than 380 times higher than it is for non-drinking drivers. (Zador, Krawchuk, and Voas, 2000)
• There is considerable evidence that laws that lower the illegal BAC limit from .10 to .08 can reduce alcohol-related fatalities by an average of seven percent. (Centers for Disease Control, 2001)
• In 2003, of the 17,013 total alcohol-related fatalities, 14,630 had BACs of 0.08 or over. BACs of 0.01 to 0.079 accounted for 2,383 fatalities. (NHTSA, 2004)
• While there is no "safe" amount of alcohol for drivers, most people can drink moderately and drive legally when the illegal per se limit is set at .08. A 170-pound male typically would have to consume more than four drinks in one hour on an empty stomach to reach a BAC of .08. A 137-pound female typically would have to consume three drinks in the same time frame. (NHTSA, 2003)
• If every state passed a .08 BAC law, 400 to 600 lives would be saved each year (Centers for Disease Control, 2001).
• Although the outward appearances vary, virtually all drivers are substantially impaired at .08 BAC. Laboratory and on-road research shows that the vast major of drivers, even experience drivers, are significantly impaired at .08 with regard to critical driving tasks such as braking, steering, lane changing, judgment and divided attention. (NHTSA, 2003)
• The risk of a driver being killed in a crash at .08 BAC is at least 11 times that of drivers without alcohol in their system. At .10 BAC the risk is at least 29 times higher. (Zador, Krawchuk, and Voas, 2000).

Tis the Season: Why December?

The holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve is one of the busiest on the nation's roadways and also one of the most dangerous, due to a high incidence of alcohol-related traffic crashes. That's why Gold Bamboo is joining with other national, state and local highway safety and law enforcement officials to remind everyone this holiday season to always designate a sober driver before each holiday party or event involving alcohol.

Nationally, more than 17,000 people died in alcohol-related highway crashes during 2003. Every 30 minutes, nearly 50 times a day, someone in America dies in an alcohol-related crash. Hundreds of thousands more are injured each year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some point in their lives.

In addition to designating a sober driver before the party begins, here are a list of several, simple steps to remember to help avoid a tragic crash or an arrest for impaired driving this holiday Season:

• Don't even think about getting behind the wheel of your vehicle if you've been out drinking;
• If you are impaired, call a taxi - use mass transit - or get a sober friend or family member to come and get you
• Or just stay where you are and sleep it off until you are sober
• And remember - Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk. Take the keys and never let a friend leave your sight if you think they are about to drive while impaired.