Virginia
Department of Education

Topic 1 – Binge Drinking & Long Term
Effects of Alcohol
Topic 2 - Alcohol, Motor Vehicle Crashes and the Law
Topic 3 –Effects of Alcohol and Other
Drugs on the Driving Task
Topic 4 -Resisting Negative Peer Pressure by Saying “No”

 Alcohol is quickly and directly absorbed into the blood without being digested
 The bloodstream then carries the alcohol throughout the body
 As more alcohol is consumed the effect on many of the bodies organs intensifies and your thinking and reasoning abilities become blurred
 At this level, you have become intoxicated resulting from alcohol levels reaching a “toxic” level in the brain
The immediate effects hinder your ability to operate a motor vehicle safely

Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) is the
Primary Way that Alcohol
Intoxication is Measured
 The amount of alcohol an individual consumes enters the person’s blood stream and can be measured by a chemical test
 This chemical analysis of the blood can determine that person’s blood- alcohol concentration ( BAC )
 The BAC levels will tell the percent of alcohol in the bloodstream and thus indicate the level of intoxication

 Example: if an individual has a BAC of 0.08% BAC
(8/100 of 1% alcohol), this means that there is
8/10 of a drop of alcohol for every 1,000 drops of blood in a person’s body
 BAC can be determined by testing a person's blood, breath, urine, or saliva
 However, testing the breath is the quickest, least complicated and most frequently used test to determine BAC

 Gender
 Body weight
 Size of drink
 Food
 Time spent drinking
Size of Drink
12 oz. beer
24 oz. beer

 Removed in three ways:
 Breath
 Sweat
 Oxidation (liver)
 Time is the only proven method to remove alcohol from the system
 1 ½ hours or longer to eliminate one drink from the system

A friend who has had only “one drink” is a safe choice for a designated driver?
Please stand if you believe this statement is true.
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Individuals who have had one alcoholic drink may be too impaired for driving; the best choice for a designated driver is someone who has had no alcoholic drinks.
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Source : CDC
Info-graphic
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A drink is ½ ounce of alcohol
To Compare Different Drinks, You Must Know the
Size of the Drink AND the % of Alcohol

Nationally One in 10
Teens Drives Under the
Influence of Alcohol
Young drivers (ages 16-20) are 17 times more likely to die in a crash when they have a blood alcohol concentration of
.08% than when they have not been drinking.
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 Nationally there are approximately 1.5 million arrests each year for DUI
 Driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs is a criminal offense
 Nineteen states (including Virginia) consider drivers over 21 to be intoxicated if their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is 0.08 percent or higher

Alcohol-Related Traffic Crash Facts
2014 http://www.dmvnow.com/safety/crash_data/crash_facts/ crash_facts_14.pdf

 Young drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 are at great risk, not only to themselves but to anyone who accompanies them
In 2014, 795
Virginia drivers less than 21 years old were involved in alcohol-related
crashes.

A national survey showed that in a 30-day period,
28.5% of high school students nationwide had ridden one or more times in a vehicle driven by someone who had been drinking alcohol.
A national study found that one out of every three pedestrians 16 and older killed in traffic accidents was intoxicated .
CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance

Alcohol and Marijuana:
A deadly combination behind the wheel
When a driver is under the influence of both alcohol and marijuana , the risk increases to 24 times that of a sober person
.
SOURCES: Guohua Li, M.D., Dr.PH, professor, epidemiology and anesthesiology, and director, Center for Injury Epidemiology and Prevention, Columbia University,
New York City; Jan Withers, national president, Mothers Against Drunk Driving;
Jonathan Adkins, deputy executive director, Governors Highway Safety
Association; Jan. 29, 2014, American Journal of Epidemiology , online

Driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs is a criminal offense
 Under age 21 with a BAC of at least 0.02 percent, but less than 0.08 percent, you can be fined up to $500 and have your driver’s license suspended for six months
 You also face a possible jail term for driving while intoxicated

Zero Tolerance for Underage Drinking
 If you knowingly allow someone to drive your car whose license has been revoked or suspended for an alcoholrelated offense you can be charged with a misdemeanor
 If you are 18-20 years of age and buy, possess or drink alcohol you can be fined as much as $2,500, lose your driver’s license for as long as one year and possibly go to jail
 If you are 13-17 years of age and caught for public intoxication, buying, possessing or drinking alcohol, you can lose your driver’s license for six months or lose the right to apply for a driver’s license until you are age 18

 Under implied consent laws , when you operate a motor vehicle on Virginia’s public roads, you have agreed to take a chemical test upon request
 You are required to take the test
 If you refuse, your license will be immediately suspended for seven days and the judge may suspend it for one year, regardless of whether or not you are convicted of driving under the influence
 If you are convicted of DUI, the suspension period for refusing the test will be added to the DUI revocation period

Alcohol and The Law
Transporting Children While
Under the Influence
In Virginia, if charged with a DUI offense and have a minor
(someone 17 years old or younger) in the vehicle, you are subject to:
 An extra 5 days in jail
 Additional fines between $500 and $1,000 (COURT COST)
***This is in addition to the other offenses that you are subject to
.

Ignition Interlock Device
The Virginia courts and DMV require anyone with a
DUI conviction to have an Ignition Interlock Device
(IID) as part of their restricted driving privileges .

 Unfortunately, many people choose to ignore that responsibility — especially when it involves alcohol and driving
+ = +
 That is why Virginia, as well as all other states, has Zero Tolerance Laws that address underage drinking and driving

If you kill another person while driving under the influence, the court will convict you of involuntary manslaughter or aggravated involuntary manslaughter, depending on the circumstances.
These convictions carry:
 Up to 20 years in prison
 License revocation for an indefinite time period
 A felony charge, which means your vehicle is subject to seizure and forfeiture

One Wrong Decision Can Change Your
Life Forever – Jacqui’s Story