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A recent study that was carried out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), regarding alcohol and driving reports that alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes will kill someone every 31 minutes. Every two minutes someone while experience a non-fatal injury. The use of drugs such as marijuana and cocaine, are a part of around 18% of motor vehicle driver deaths. How does this affect you? How can you avoid them?

Misconceived Ideas Regarding Alcohol

• Drinking coffee will not make an intoxicated individual sober, nor will heavy exercise, taking a cold shower or getting fresh air. Eating food will not soak up alcohol. Only time will cause intoxication to pass. As a rule, it will take an hour to do away with one drink's worth of alcohol.
• You will find the same amount of alcohol in a bottle of beer, a glass of wine, or a shot of hard liquor. You will also find the same amount of alcohol in 'light' beer as in regular beer.
• As a rule, women do not process alcohol as well as men. This is because on of the reduced weight and more limited production of alcohol dehydrogenase, the breakdown enzyme.
• You can have your driving impaired and can place your life at risk with fewer drinks than most people imagine. Most people will be past the legal limit with as few as three drinks over a couple of hours.

The Affects of Alcohol

Most people area aware that alcohol can slow down your reaction time and make you loud, obnoxious, or overly friendly but there are other affects that most people are less aware of, like how alcohol affects your eyesight. It will affect your eye's ability to focus back and forth from objects near and far. It relaxes your muscles and therefore the muscle control of your eyes. This leads to blurred vision. It impairs the ability of the eyes to work together leading to double vision. It reduces your peripheral vision, your ability to see things from the side. It limits night vision and impedes the ability of your eyes to distinguish colors.

Affects of Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs

Besides alcohol and illegal drugs, there are many perfectly legal substances that can also affect your driving. This includes prescription drugs common over-the-counter drugs and medications. You need to read the labels carefully when dealing with any prescription drugs that you may use for allergies, your sinus problems, or acne, chronic diseases, and other conditions. Be especially carefully with regard to drugs prescribed to alter moods and combat depression.