TRANSPORTATION MATTERS for IOWA

Message Monday - You are not a pumpkin. Don't drive smashed


10-29 message mondaySmashed, blotto, totaled, wasted, sloshed, under the table… those are all terms used to describe being drunk. Over the years most of us have come to realize that if you’re very drunk you shouldn’t drive. Your friends might take away your keys, call a sober ride or let you crash on a couch because they recognize the need to keep you from behind the wheel.

But what about other terms that might not invoke that sense of being out of control? Do you drive if you’re “just” buzzed or lit? Allowing legal driving with a blood-alcohol level of .08 might give a false sense that you aren’t impaired after just a few drinks, even though the opposite may be true.

So how do you tell if you’re sober enough to drive? There are a number of charts and formulas out there that give you a sense of how much a person of a certain gender and weight might be able to consume before he or she would go over the legal limit when tested by breathing into a machine. But these are just guidelines and everyone’s body reacts differently to alcohol.

There’s only one way to make sure you’re sober enough to drive. Don’t drink any alcohol if you’re going to get behind the wheel.  

Enjoy this classic from Stevie Wonder - https://youtu.be/K0IhxqRzJgQ

And of course a little Smashing Pumpkins - https://youtu.be/4aeETEoNfOg

For 2018, there have been 257 fatalities reported. That’s an increase of seven since last Monday. To see statistics published daily by the Office of Driver Services, go to the daily fatality report at https://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/stats/daily.pdf

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