Show I Drinking And Driving Ever think of yourself as a adata adata adata data processing machine In Ina Ina Ina a way you are Your eyes ears and other senses s send nd information to your brain The brain sorts out this data and decides what to do about It then sends messages to the muscles and your body re re- re acts A RECENT laboratory test showed that motorists process process process' traffic information more slowly than they handled other types of data such as typing reading and piano playing With this disturbing fact tact in mind lets let's consider another major problem The problem of drinking and driving A RECENT report from Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin Wis Wis- issued under their state law which requires a blood I t test for all Jr drivers 5 kill kiH killed dIn lD In traffic shows that nearly 77 per cent of the male drivers and just under 67 per cent of the women tested had been drink drink- ing Less than half of them had consumed enough alcohol to be legally considered intoxicated This might be a good time to review a few facts about alcohol Even a slight amount cuts down on your ability to see properly It also dulls the other senses The weight of the person how fast he drinks and his physical condition all determine how quickly he reacts to alcohol STOPPING FOR a quick drink on the way home from work is probably the worst time to take a drink You are tired your stomach is empty and you allow little or no time for your brain brainI I to clear away the sudden supply of alcohol in your bloodstream Two highballs or two bottles I of beer contain about one ounce I of pure alcohol It is enough to put a pound person well on the way toward the legally intoxicated In Intoxicated In- In stage under Utah law I IT WILL TAKE the body about two hours to completely burnup burnup burn burnup up the alcohol in those two drinks If the liquor used In mixing the highballs was proof or if more than an ounce was used in each drink the percentage percentage percentage per per- of alcohol w would 0 u I d be higher and a longer time would be required A rough rule of thumb to follow would be to wait an hour per drink before driving UNDER PRESENT Utah law a person is considered legally legall intoxicated if a blood test shows zero point per cent of alcohol This is the equivalent of six bottles of beer or three ounce one-ounce drinks of proof liquor Driving after drinking is a problem which can only be solved by the individual driver If he decides not to drive after a few drinks his judgment is good If however he decides that he MUST drive there are area a few principles of safety that should be considered ALCOHOL REDUCES Inhibitions inhibitions inhibitions and this leads to faster driving This is doubly dangerous dangerous dangerous dan dan- because alcohol Impairs the vision and slows reactions Alcohol tends to make people more talkative more sociable Unfortunately this means the drinking driver will pay more attention to his passengers than he will to the road ahead SINCE PEOPLE usually do more drinking after dark this creates several serious situa situa- Darkness cuts visibility and when a few drinks are added which also Impair vision the driver can see much less than he could normally Since he will have a tendency to drive faster taster and pay less attention I to traffic co conditions the whole situation adds up to danger What can be done about that Well lets let's assume that our driver Is a businessman who is meeting a client for dinner He feels that he must have a drink with the client before dinner If he is a wise motorist he will sip his drink slowly This gives his body more time timeto to burn up the alcohol He will limit himself to one or two drinks before eating a good leisurely meal IF HE HAS one drink for instance In Instance instance in- in stance and nurses It for half halt haltan an hour then spends another hour over dinner he should be beable beable beable able to drive with no trouble If he had two drinks and ate quickly Jy he would be wise to stay away from heavy traffic or a long trip Realizing that people do drink and drive the experts hope that those who do will pace them them- selves Take it slow and easy when drinking Wait as long as you can after drinking before I j you take the wheel and only if I you have had but a few drinks AND BE EXTRA alert Remember Remember Remember Re Re- member that nighttime Is the most dangerous on the highway highway highway high high- way and remember also that thata a drinking driver is dangerous to everyone |