We know that St. Patrick’s Day brings about many parties and opportunities to have a few drinks. And as we lead up to a big weekend for celebrating, LCSD deputies would like to take a moment to remind you to not drink and drive.
If you plan on drinking, please plan on designating a sober driver. You can call a ridesharing service, a taxi or a friend. But, don’t get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol. For anyone who thinks it’s OK to have just a few, remember that buzzed driving is drunk driving.
Your BAC, or blood alcohol concentration, is when the amount of alcohol in a person’s body is measured by the weight of the alcohol in a certain volume of blood (NHTSA). How quickly can alcohol be absorbed into the body? Fast! In fact, it can be measured within as little as 30 minutes after a person has had a drink. And how fast your BAC rises really depends on several factors, like your gender, weight, stomach contents, how fast and how much you drink.
NHTSA reports that “drivers with a BAC of 0.08 are approximately 4 times more likely to crash than drivers with a BAC of zero. At a BAC of 0.15, drivers are at least 12 times more likely to crash than drivers with a BAC of zero.”
Did you know that at just .02 BAC, there is a decline in visual functions which affect your ability to drive. And at .08 BAC, your perception and judgement are impaired, your muscle coordination becomes poor and you have a harder time concentrating and detecting danger (NHTSA).
There are so many reasons to not drink and drive, but the greatest of these is the value of your life and others are the road.
Help us keep the streets of Lexington County safe. Drive sober or get pulled over this green holiday.