Car Accident Prevention – Drunk Driving: should Designated Drivers abstain from drinking completely?

18% of Designated Drivers (DDs) are driving while impaired exposing themselves and their drunken passengers to a higher risk of a car accident reveals a recent study conducted during week-ends in in a southeastern college community restaurant and bar district.

65% of DDs tested abstained from drinking alcohol completely, 17% had a Blood Alcohol Content between 0.02 and 0.049 and 18% had a BAC above 0.05. according to the study conducted by the Department of Health Education and Behavior, University of Florida and published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

The study also screened participants for Alcohol Use Disorders and results showed that participants with Alcohol Use Disorders were more likely to serve as DD and have a blood alcohol concentration that significantly impaired driving ability and psychomotor function.

Drivers can legally operate a car if their blood alcohol concentration is below 0.08 however driving abilities are negatively affected even with a level of alcohol lower that the legal limit. Furthermore designated drivers are often distracted by the drunken behavior of the other passengers. Therefore the study recommend that Designated Drivers abstain completely from drinking.