Every U.S. state provides guidelines for motorists as to the state maximum legal blood alcohol content. For most motorists over age 21, the legal limit is .08. This mean .08% of the blood contains alcohol. For drivers over age 16 but under age 21, many states implement a zero tolerance policy meaning no trace amount of alcohol will be tolerated. Other states permit a .02 B.A.C. for underage drivers.
In a new study recently published by Addiction contends that there is no safe blood alcohol content and buzzed driving is just as deadly as drunk driving. The article opines that driving after one beer or a glass of wine is likened to driving fully intoxicated and can reap the same results- severe injury or death.
The study was conducted by two demographers from the University of California San Diego. Their experiments revealed that drivers who consumed even one drink before driving were more likely than sober drivers to wind up in a car crash injuring themselves or others. Also, accidents involving buzzed driving were more severe and caused greater bodily or property damage than accidents involving sober drivers.
More specifically, the study looked over accident and injury data from car accidents across the U.S. resulting in at least one fatality between the years 1994 and 2008. This data, which included close to 1.5 million people, compiled all B.A.C.’s recorded at the scene from 0% and upwards. The data revealed that severity rates increased dramatically the higher the B.A.C. climbed. The test could not adequately cover all car accidents in the U.S. because the data only related to accidents involving fatalities.
Accidents involving a B.A.C. of .01% resulted in 4.33 severe injuries for every minor injury while accidents involving a B.A.C. of 0% resulted in 3.17 severe injuries for every minor injury.
Researchers believe that buzzed drivers are more likely to speed and less likely to wear a seatbelt, making them more vulnerable to severe injury in the event of an accident. This coincides with the correlation between a higher B.A.C. and a higher rate of speed at the time of crashes as revealed by the data utilized in the study.
Statistically, more accidents take place on the weekends and during the summer than any other time. Accidents are also more common between 8pm and 4am.
Proponents of the study hope it will urge U.S. lawmakers to lower legal B.A.C. limits, which are of the highest of any developed nation. Germany’s B.A.C. limit is .05% while Japan’s is .03% and Sweden a mere .02%.
