Every 30 minutes someone in America dies because of an impaired driver. Every 2 minutes someone is injured by an impaired driver.
Drunk driving in a major urban city is no joke; you not only endanger your life, but you endanger the lives of thousands of pedestrians, cyclists and other motor vehicle drivers. To many people’s surprise, it’s not a question of whether you are legally intoxicated, it’s a question of whether or not it is safe to drive when you have consumed any amount of alcohol. Basically, the more you drink, the more likely you are to have an accident. A factual example: A 160-pound person drinking two beers within an hour would probably have a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.04, well below the legal limits of driving under the influence. However, this person is 1.4 times more likely to have an accident than someone who is sober. Two more beers over the next hour? The likelihood of an accident goes up almost tenfold to 11 times more likely than a non-drinking driver. Two more beers to make it an even six-pack over 3 hours; the likelihood of having an accident is now 48 times higher than the abstainer and the driver has just now reached a 0.10 BAC level. As the amount of alcohol in the driver’s system rises on the BAC scale, the likelihood of a traffic accident multiples! Play it smart over spring break. If you plan to drink while away from home (and this includes on the water), please drink responsibly and appoint a designated driver. Further information on responsible drinking and crime prevention is available at www.miami.edu/police or through the UMPD Crime Prevention Office at (305) 284-1105.