Delete
Effects of Alcohol on Driving P.F.
How Excessive Drinking Affects Your Ability to Drive

How Excessive Drinking Affects Your Ability to Drive

A.P.

Miércoles, 1 de enero 2025, 10:05

Alcohol induces numerous symptoms in our bodies that are incompatible with safe driving. These effects can vary and intensify depending on a person's weight, gender, age, and health, as well as how much and what type of alcohol is consumed, and its combination with medications and other drugs.

"Alcohol is a psychoactive substance that alters psychomotor and perceptual functions, which are essential for driving: coordination, attention, vision, behaviour, decision-making... As the amount of alcohol in the body increases, these effects persist and intensify. Its potency may vary, but it always has an impact," explains Julio Pérez, medical advisor at the National Road Safety Observatory of the Directorate General of Traffic.

Alcohol consumption while driving remains one of the major risk factors for road safety today. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that road users under its influence have a "significantly higher" risk of accidents and estimates that alcohol is involved in one out of every three road incidents.

"It is a major public health issue that affects not only the consumer but also, in many cases, innocent people such as passengers and pedestrians," highlights the WHO.

Consequences of alcohol consumption DGT

Currently, the DGT is considering lowering the maximum blood alcohol limit for drivers from 0.5 grams per litre (g/l) of blood to 0.2 g/l, a measure that would require amending the Road Safety Law.

"With this reduction in the maximum legal blood alcohol limit, it is expected to decrease the percentage of drivers who get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol and, consequently, the associated accidents. The impact is expected not only in the 0.2-0.5 g/l range but also at higher values. In Sweden and Norway, two benchmark countries, a significant reduction in accidents was observed after implementing the 0.2 g/l limit," states Álvaro Gómez, director of the National Road Safety Observatory of the DGT, adding that this measure "will be complemented by the implementation of the alcolock in buses, increased checks, and a project on repeat offenders in alcohol consumption."

"The proposal to reduce to 0.2 g/l should actually be understood as "not a single drink if I am going to drive" and should clarify its incompatibility with driving," opines Jesús Monclús, director of the Prevention and Road Safety Area of the Mapfre Foundation. He adds: "Stevie Wonder said it 40 years ago: if you drink, don't drive. And it seems we still haven't understood it."

Despite the danger of associating alcohol with driving - the statistics reflect the consequences - there are still misconceptions - such as "it's possible to drink and drive safely" - and a low perception of the risk of driving with impaired abilities, something experts associate with a lack of responsibility and also ignorance, explains Patricia Pérez, psychologist at the National Road Safety Observatory of the DGT.

"This problem is clearly different from speed and distractions. We are used to socialising with alcohol, even when we have to drive afterwards. On the other hand, we haven't paid enough attention to repeat offenders or those who test positive in a control with high levels. Yes, raising awareness of the danger of the first drink is difficult, and tackling a consumption problem is even more so. In these cases, psychosocial and health interventions are necessary in addition to the threat of fines or other sanctions. A comprehensive set of measures against alcohol is needed, starting with educating and making us aware that the first drink already makes us worse drivers," concludes Monclús.

Publicidad

Publicidad

Publicidad

Publicidad

Esta funcionalidad es exclusiva para registrados.

Reporta un error en esta noticia

* Campos obligatorios

todoalicante How Excessive Drinking Affects Your Ability to Drive