Driving After Cheers !

By Maxwell Pereira
June 2001

“Drinks and driving don’t mix” – is a matter of fact statement. It is also an advice often given to drivers by the authorities and others concerned and knowledgeable. With due reason. Though the level of awareness on this crucial issue among road users in most countries of the world – especially in those developed – is quite high, it is unfortunate that this matter has not been viewed with the seriousness it deserves, in our country.
The spectacular increase in the number of motor vehicles on our roads has indeed created a major social problem – of loss of valuable lives through road accidents. And drunkenness is among the major causes for road accidents in India. Also, a large number of persons are killed in road accidents due to excessive intake of alcohol – mostly by drivers before and while driving, and at times even by pedestrians or cyclists who venture on the road in an inebriated state.
In a number of research studies conducted throughout the world which have examined its effects on driving capabilities, alcohol has indeed been found to have dangerous effects on persons who cross limits. The judgement and skill of a driver can only be exercised so long as his sensory organs remain functioning unimpaired; which of course, do get affected with drinks.
Alcohol gives a feeling of well-being and outward calm – but actually it is, in medical parlance, a depressant. It slows down the processes in the central nervous system, especially the brain. The effects can be seen in the lessening of muscular control and coordination, and thereby increase in reaction time. Alcohol intake results in blurring of vision and decrease in awareness, especially in the dark. It also impairs ability to judge speed and distance, essentially needed to deal with unexpected situations…. and judgement with regard to how fit and fine one is to drive, so that under its influence one generally believes oneself to be driving better than one really does. All these factors greatly affect driving performance. Obvious consequences are, a higher risk of road accidents.
Effects of various amounts of alcohol on driver behaviour have been examined in a study conducted by Goldberg L. and J.D.S. Haward, D.E.C.D., Paris. Alcohol in the blood is measured in milligrams (mg) of alcohol per 100 millilitre (ml) of blood. The Study states that when alcohol concentration in blood is 0-20 mg/100 ml, in some subjects there is deterioration in special skills that resemble driving skills; in which case, the accident risk while being there, is marginal. When blood alcohol concentration is 20-40mg/ 100 ml, there is further progressive deterioration in special skills and hence greater risk of accidents. In 40-50mg/100 ml, significant increase in accident involvement is noticed. As the blood alcohol level approaches and passes 50mg/100 ml, the overall accident risk increases rapidly; and at a concentration of 80mg/100 ml, alcohol emerges as a dominant factor in accidents. When blood alcohol concentration is greater than 80mg/100 ml, the accident probability of drivers is very high – it being 6 to 7 times (when the concentration is 100mg/100 ml) that of drivers with less than 10mg/100 ml.
Authorities around the world have laid down their own standards for permissible maximum blood alcohol content. In the USA many states consider it a legal offence for a person to drive a motor vehicle, if the blood alcohol content is 100 mg/100 ml or more; in Norway and Sweden the limit is 50 mg/100 ml. In the UK the Road Safety Act, 1972 makes it a legal offence for a person to drive if the blood alcohol content is 80 mg/ 100 ml or more. The legal limit in India is 30mg/100 ml, as per provisions of Section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act 1988.
When a person drinks alcohol, the drink passes quickly from mouth to the stomach and then into the small intestines – through which it gets absorbed into the blood stream. Absorption of alcohol is very fast if a drink is taken on an empty stomach. It would be slow, if the route through the small intestines is impeded by food. From the small intestine the blood first passes through the liver where a small quantity gets constantly removed – and then onto the system, for general circulation; so on to the heart; the lungs, where a small amount passes into the breath; and finally it reaches the brain. The elimination process is slow, but eventually the liver removes most of the alcohol, while some of it finally passes out through urine.
Harder the drink, it is reported, more rapidly does it get absorbed into the body. The process of absorption is slower for drinks with less concentration of alcohol. Greater the quantum and time over which alcohol is consumed, more the effect on faculties that affect driving. Presence of food in the stomach influences and slows down the absorption process of alcohol into the blood stream. Among other effects of regular and excessive intake of alcohol, deterioration of health is not uncommon… at times leading to loss of livelihood. The probability of a road accident is high, apart from the consequential effects on the immediate family and likely inconvenience/loss to the community.
Ideally, one should not drink and drive. Even a small quantity of alcohol can impair the performance of a person while driving. So it is always advisable to wait until all alcohol has been eliminated from the body, before taking to the wheel. If one has to drive after drinking, the guidelines are – not to drink on an empty stomach; to drink slowly and limit the amount of intake; to eat while drinking; and to stop drinking at a stage much before taking to the wheel.
The legal penalty under section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act prescribes imprisonment of ‘6’ months with or without fine upto Rs. 2000/- for the First offence. For the second and subsequent offence – if committed within 3 years of the commission of a previous similar offence, the imprisonment is upto 2 years or fine up to Rs. 3000/- or more. There can be arrest without warrant u/s 202 of the M.V. Act, which also prescribes a breath test (u/s 203) and a laboratory test (u/s 204). Though not related to alcohol, the Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 also envisage some drugs as rendering a person incapable of exercising proper control over the motor vehicle under the same Section 185 of the MV Act. These include Cannabis and Cocaine – which affect the central nervous system as depressants; hypnotic sedatives such as – Allobarbitone, Phenobarbital, Secobarbital, Cyclobarbitone, Barbitone, Methapolene, Chloral Hydrate; narcotic analgesics like – Morphine and Pethidine; psycho-tropic drugs like Lysergic acid di-ethyleawridge (LSD); stimulants like – Amphetamin, Methyl Phanidate Hydrochloride; and transquilizers like – Diazepam, Chloridiarepoxide and Nitrazepam;
To conclude, a balanced individual will remember always to stick to the advise of elders on drinks – “one is just fine; two is one too many; three is just not enough….” And beware of that friend who pressurises a departing guest with a – ‘one for the road’. Just be that wise guy then, not to let that one be, the ‘…one for the ditch’. Surely then, you’ll be the one that saves not only yours, but other’s lives too.