The 6 Excuses People Make to Drink and Drive
We are lucky here in TN to have many alternatives to drinking and driving: Lyft, Uber, cab, walk or phone a friend. Then why is DUI in TN still so common? People don’t understand the effects of alcohol on the body. Here are 6 common drinking misconceptions that get us behind the wheel.
Excuse #1: “It’s ok to have 1 or 2 drinks if I ate a big meal.”
WRONG: Alcohol can slow the absorption of alcohol, but it doesn’t prevent it. Also when you eat, you might not feel the effects of alcohol right away so you end up drinking more.
Excuse #2: “I’m a guy, I’m heavier, I’m tolerant [insert 20 other excuses here], I can drink more than other people
WRONG: It is true men and women are not created equal when it comes to alcohol. But sex has less to do with the body’s rate of alcohol absorption as other factors such as weight, medication and fatigue. You know what is accurate? The officer breath test AFTER you’ve been pulled over.
Excuse #3: “I drank last night, all the alcohol is out of my system.”
WRONG: The same fact above applies, EVERY body is going to metabolize alcohol differently. It also depends on how much alcohol you consumed the night before and how late it was when you stopped drinking. There are too many factors to determine your morning sobriety, don’t think “sleeping it off” is a failsafe. When in doubt, hitch a ride and go back for your car.
Excuse #4: “I stopped drinking an hour ago and had 2 cups of coffee, I’m good to go.”
WRONG: 1st of all, your body needs several hours to completely eliminate a few drinks. For example, to eliminate 70mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, it takes the average body nearly 5 hours. 2nd of all, coffee has ZERO effect on sobriety, you’ll just be wide awake.
Excuse #5: “I only had a couple of beers [or wine], I didn’t drink any hard liquor.”
WRONG: Alcohol is alcohol, period. 1 glass of wine = 1 can/bottle of beer = 1 shot of liquor. Some people only have to consume 1 of any of the above to blow over the legal limit. If you have never tested your limit with a legitimate car breathalyzer, you don’t KNOW your true limit.
Excuse #6: “I’ll just drive slow, I don’t have very far to go, I’ll be fine.”
WRONG: Driving slow is just begging a cop to pull you over. But besides that fact, even while driving slow your vision may be off and your reflexes slow. Going slow won’t prevent you from not seeing relative distance to the edge of the road, another vehicle or a person.
Moral of the story? Don’t drink and drive no matter what excuse you feel might work for you. Buzz driving is drunk driving and it puts you and others in danger. There are so many alternatives that are cheaper and safer than a TN DUI, so use them.