Module 8: Topic 1
Alcohol Facts
1. Why do you think teens would drive under the influence of alcohol?
2. Why is binge drinking so dangerous?
3. Alcohol Poisoning:
a. Seizures
b. Vomiting
c. Bluish or pale skin
d. Low body temperature
e. Inability to be awakened
f. Extreme confusion
g. Slow or irregular breathing
1. Long Term Physical Effects of Binge Drinking:
a. Alcoholism
b. Overweight
c. Unplanned pregnancy
d. Sexually transmitted diseases
e. Unprotected sex
f. High blood pressure
2. Long Term Effects on Mental Health from Binge Drinking:
a. Difficulty in school
b. More likely to drop out
c. Disrupts sleep pattern so it is harder to stay awake and concentrate during the day
d. Lose friends
e. Becoming angry or moody when drinking
Module 8: Topic 2
Alcohol, Motor Vehicle Crashes, and the Law
1. Alcohol Intoxication:
a. Alcohol is quickly and directly absorbed into the blood without being digested.
b. The bloodstream then carries the alcohol throughout the body.
c. As more alcohol is consumed, the effect on many of the body’s organs intensifies and your thinking
and reasoning abilities become blurred.
d. At this level, you have become intoxicated resulting from alcohol levels reaching a “toxic” level in
the brain.
e. The immediate effects hinder your ability to operate a motor vehicle safely.
2. BAC: Blood Alcohol Content:
a. The amount of alcohol an individual consumes enters the person’s blood stream and can be
measured by a chemical test.
b. This chemical analysis of the blood can determine that person’s blood-alcohol concentration
(BAC).
c. The BAC levels will tell the percent of alcohol in the bloodstream and thus indicate the level of
intoxication.
3. How are BAC levels tested?
a. 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.
b. BAC can be determined by testing a person's blood, breath, urine, or saliva.
c. However, testing the breath is the quickest, least complicated and most frequently used test to
determine BAC.
4. Factors that Affect BAC Level:
a. Gender
b. Body weight
c. Size of drink
d. Food
e. Time spent drinking
Note: NO two individuals having the same number of drinks are affected in the same way.
5. Elimination of Alcohol:
a. Removed in three ways:
 Breath
 Sweat
 Oxidation (liver)
b. Time is the only proven method to remove alcohol from the system
c. 1 ½ hours or longer to eliminate one drink from the system
6. Not All Alcohol Drinks Are Equal:
a. Even one drink impairs driving:
b. A drink is ½ ounce of alcohol
c. To compare the different drinks you need to know the size of the drink and the % of alcohol
7. Teen Drivers and Alcohol:
a. Nationally one in 10 teens drives under the influence of alcohol
b. 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.
8. Alcohol and Law Enforcement:
a. Nationally there are approximately 1.5 million arrests each year for DUI.
b. Driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs is a criminal offense.
c. Nineteen states (including Virginia) consider drivers over 21 to be intoxicated if their blood alcohol
concentration (BAC) is 0.08 percent or higher.
d. Young drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 are at great risk, not only to themselves but also to
anyone who accompanies them.
e. In 2014, 795 Virginia drivers less than 21 years old were involved in alcohol-related crashes.
f. 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.
g. A national study found that one out of every three pedestrians, 16 and older, killed in traffic
accidents was. intoxicated.
9. Alcohol and Marijuana:
a. When a driver is under the influence of both alcohol and marijuana, the risk increases to 24 times
that of a sober person.
10. Alcohol and the Law:
a. Driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs is a criminal offense
b. 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.
c. You also face a possible jail term for driving while intoxicated.
11. Zero Tolerance:
a. If you knowingly allow someone to drive your car whose license has been revoked or suspended for
an alcohol-related offense, you can be charged with a misdemeanor.
b. 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.
c. 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.
12. Implied Consent:
a. 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.
b. You are required to take the test.
c. 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.
d. If you are convicted of DUI, the suspension period for refusing the test will be added to the DUI
revocation period.
13. Transporting Children While Under the Influence:
a. In Virginia, if you are 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)
b. This is in addition to the other offenses that you are subject to.
14. Ignition Interlock Device:
a. 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.
15. Involuntary Manslaughter:
a. 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.
b. 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
Module 8: Topic 3
Effects of Alcohol and Other Drugs on the Driving Task
1. Driving Skills Impairment:
a. Blood Alcohol Level as low as .03 reduces ability to search and evaluate
b. Produces more aggressive behavior and poor decisions
c. Alcohol affects judgment first, but also affects muscular actions
d. Shown by failure to maintain vehicle in straight line
2. Common Signs of the Drinking Driver:
a. Straddles center or lane marker
b. Almost strikes an object
c. Weaves
d. Drives on shoulder
e. Slow speed
f. Illegal or abrupt turns
g. Stops for no apparent reason
h. Follows too closely
i. Drifts
j. Drives into opposing or crossing traffic
k. Drives at night with lights off
l. Fails to dim high beam headlights
3. Effects of Alcohol on Space Management:
a. The space management system is based on vision, understanding what you have observed,
deciding what the best course of action is and executing that action.
b. Alcohol and /or drugs impair these courses of action.
c. Searching/Identifying — The primary sense that humans use when driving is vision
d. About 90% of what a driver “identifies” is by the brain telling the eyes what to look for.
e. Alcohol affects vision in a number of ways.
 Eye focus, double vision, judging distance, night vision, color distinction
f. The prime reason for visual problems after alcohol use is impaired eye muscle control.
4. Drugs Other than Alcohol:
a. Over-the-counter medications - Purchased legally without a prescription
• Read label, may cause drowsiness or impair driving ability
b. Prescription medications
• Written note from doctor to obtain medications
• Check label, may reduce level of alertness or ability to perform complex tasks
c. Illegal drugs
• Against the law
• Impact driving in ways similar to alcohol
5. Mixing Alcohol and Drugs:
a. Multiplies the effects of alcohol
b. Has additional effects of its own
c. Further reduces the driver’s ability to operate a vehicle
d. Could cause serious health problems or death
Module 8: Topic 4:
Resisting Negative Peer Pressure
1. You Are Responsible:
a. As a Driver it will be YOUR responsibility to say no to alcohol to keep yourself, your passengers, and
others on the road safe.
2. How Can You Say No?
a. Say what the problem is (that's mean or that's illegal, etc.).
b. Say what the consequences are.
c. Suggest something to do instead.
d. If your friends insist on the behavior, leave ─ but leave the door open for them to change their
minds and join you.
e. Find or invent a reason to leave the scene
f. Treat the suggestion as if it is not serious or making a joke of it.
g. Get involved in a new activity with a new group of people.
h. Get help from a trusted adult (for example, a coach, teacher, counselor, or family member).
3. Stopping Another Person from Driving Drunk:
a. Take their keys away
b. Arrange for a driver who has not been drinking
c. Call a cab
d. Have them stay overnight, if possible
Planning Ahead Questions
What is the event?
Where is it taking place?
Who is attending?
How can we prevent problems from happening?
What are the potential problems that might occur?
What is my plan for handling these problems? My plan for making sure my friend and I are healthy? My plan
for getting home safely?