CH. 14 – EFFECTS OF DRIVER
CONDITION
• Emotions and Driving – Emotions
influence the way you think and
act.
• Strong emotions interfere with
your ability to think, reason, and
make wise decisions.
• Strong emotions reduces mental
alertness and prevents you from fully
concentrating on driving.
• Anger, sorrow, depression, anxiety,
excitement, happiness
• Anger occurs more often to drivers
than any other emotion.
DON’T BE THIS GUY!
OR THESE GUYS!!
PASSENGERS AND EMOTION
• When you are driving, YOU ARE
RESPONSIBLE for your
passengers regardless of the
situation.
• Maturity leads you to understand
the consequences of poor driving
decisions
WAYS TO HELP A DRIVER WHEN
YOU ARE A PASSENGER
• Don’t say or do anything that might
upset the driver.
• Discourage the driver from taking
reckless actions. Do what you must to
protect yourself and others.
• Compliment the driver and help the
driver in difficult situations.
COPING WITH EMOTIONS WHILE
DRIVING
1. Learn to use the IPDE process.
The way you drive is a habit. Good
habits are as easy to develop as
bad habits.
2. Anticipate emotion producing
situations and adjust to them.
3. Do not challenge an aggressive
driver. Avoid eye contact and ignore
gestures. Take down their license
plate number and call police if need
be.
4. Realize when you are under strong
emotion and take precaution.
5. Adjust your route to avoid
irritating traffic situations.
6. Be a courteous driver at all times
and help other drivers when they
need it. You expect it when you
need it.
VISION
• Visual Acuity – The ability to see things
clearly.
• 20/20 vision is normal
• Most states require a minimum visual
acuity of 20/40 to drive. This person
must be twice as close to an object to
see it clearly compared to 20/20.
COLOR BLINDNESS
• Not being able to distinguish between colors.
• WAYS TO COMPENSATE
1. Remember the order of the lights on the
traffic lights.
2. Know the shapes of signs.
3. Read all signs on the lights.
4. Check all traffic before proceeding at
traffic lights.
5. Take cues from other drivers.
• Field of vision – The area you can see
around you while looking straight ahead.
• Central vision – A 10 degree cone shaped
area of clear vision used when the eyes
focus on something.
• Peripheral vision – The side vision area to
the left and right of central vision.
• Tunnel vision – A narrow field of
peripheral vision that is 140 degrees or
less. Compensate with more head and eye
movement.
• Night vision – Ability to see at
night. This varies among
people.
• Night blindness – Not being
able to see well at night.
WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR
NIGHT VISION
1. Travel at slower speeds.
2. Increase your following distance.
3. Drive at night only if eyes are well
rested.
4. Keep windshield and headlights clean.
5. Keep the interior lights off.
DEPTH PERCEPTION
• The ability to judge distance between you
and other objects.
WAYS TO COMPENSATE
1. Increase your following distance.
2. Allow for more distance before passing.
3. Use known distances such as city
blocks or the space between utility
poles to judge distances.
4. Allow greater distances at night than in the
daytime.
GLARE
• During the daytime, it occurs when
bright sunlight is reflected off
shiny surfaces.
• During the nighttime, it occurs
when bright lights reflect off shiny
surfaces.
• Glare resistance – The ability to
continue seeing when looking at bright
lights. This varies among people.
• Glare recovery time – The time it takes
for your eyes to regain clear vision. It
takes 5 – 10 for your pupils to readjust.
WAYS TO AVOID OR RECOVER
FROM GLARE
• Avoid looking directly at bright lights.
Use the right edge of road as a guide.
• Anticipate glare situations and glance
away.
• Use side vision rather than central
vision to check your lane position.
• When impaired by glare, slow until
your vision clears.
• Wear sunglasses and use sun visor in
bright sunlight.
• Adjust your rearview mirror for night
use.
VEHICLE SPEED AND VISION
• SPEED SMEAR – When objects off to
your sides become blurred as your
speed increases.
• The faster you drive, the more your field
of vision is narrowed. It has an effect
like tunnel vision.
HEARING, SMELLING, and FEELING
• Sometimes you need to depend on your
senses to identify threats to your path of
travel.
Hearing alerts you to:
1. Honking horns, train whistles, sirens,
engines and brakes of trucks and buses.
Mechanical problems from your vehicle.
2. Deaf drivers must see what they can’t
hear.
3. They compensate by using their eyes
more.
Smelling Alerts
1. Overheated engine or brakes.
2. Exhaust fumes.
3. Something burning.
Feeling Alerts
• Your vehicle veering right or left.
• Changing speed.
• A change in the roadway surface.
• Mechanical problems – vibrations, flat
tire.
TEMPORARY PHYSICAL DISABILITIES
FATIGUE
Causes:
1. Mental or physical work.
2. Emotional stress.
3. Loss of sleep.
Effects:
1. Dulls senses and slows mental and
physical processes.
2. You will need more time to use the
I.P.D.E. Process.
3. Causes drowsiness.
DANGER SIGNS OF DROWSINESS
1. Trouble keeping your head up.
2. Drifting between lane positions.
3. Wandering disconnected thoughts.
4. Can’t stop yawning.
5. Eyes closing or going out of focus.
6. Can’t concentrate on driving.
COMPENSATIONS FOR FATIGUE
1. Rest – The only safe remedy
2. Change drivers
3. Stop regularly
4. Wear shades for glare
5. Keep your eyes moving
6. Open window for fresh air
7. Be active – Listen to the radio, sing,
talk with your passengers.
EFFECTS OF MEDICINES
• Many medicines have side effects such
as drowsiness, dizziness, or reduced
alertness that can alter your driving
ability.
• Read the label to learn of possible side
effects. Ask a Pharmacist or your
Physician if you’re not sure.
CARBON MONOXIDE
• A deadly, colorless, odorless, and
tasteless gas which is present in
all engine exhaust fumes.
• Move a person who is overcome
by carbon monoxide into fresh air.
SMALL AMOUNTS CAN CAUSE:
1. Drowsiness.
2. Headaches.
3. Muscular weakness.
4. Mental dullness.
5. Nausea.
Large amounts can cause DEATH!
ACTIONS TO PREVENT CARBON
MONOXIDE EXPOSURE
1. Don’t start or run the engine in a garage.
2. Keep at least a 3 sec. following distance in
stop and go traffic.
3. If stuck in mud or snow, make sure your
exhaust pipe is not buried.
4. Check your exhaust system regularly.
Smoking also raises the carbon monoxide level
in a person’s blood.
PHYSICAL DISABILITIES WHICH
DISQUALIFY PEOPLE AS DRIVERS
1. Total blindness
2. Mental illness
3. Loss of muscular control
4. Total paralysis – both arms & legs
5. Severe heart disease
6. Any disease that could cause a sudden
loss of consciousness. People with
epilepsy can drive if they have a
physicians statement.
Individuals can still receive a
driver’s license, but they must
provide medical proof that their
chronic disease is under control.
CH.15 – ALCOHOL, OTHER
DRUGS, and DRIVING
• Alcohol is the most commonly used
drug in our society.
• Most frequently found drug in fatally
injured drivers.
• All states enforce a minimum drinking
age of 21.
• Alcohol is classified as a drug because
of its effects on the central nervous
system.
FACTS ON ALCOHOL
1. Major factor in 38% of all traffic deaths.
Half of those killed had not been
drinking.
2. Young drinking drivers are involved in
fatal crashes at twice the rate of drivers
aged 21 and older.
3. Drivers aged 16-20 are more likely to
be alcohol impaired than any other
age.
4. Most teenage drinking is done in
cars, while most adult drinking is
done in the home or at social
occasions.
5. More than half of all fatalities during
holidays are alcohol related.
6. Between 10 pm. and 3 am. On
Friday and Saturday nights, at least 1
out of 10 drivers are drunk.
7. In one vehicle fatal accidents, 2/3 of
the drivers are drunk.
MYTHS ABOUT ALCOHOL
1. Stimulant.
2. Has nutrients.
3. Increases mental and physical activity.
4. Alcohol affects everyone the same.
5. Several ways to sober up.
6. I will not be affected because I am only
drinking beer.
7. I drive better after a few drinks.
8. A young person cannot become a problem
drinker.
MENTAL ABILITIES and ALCOHOL
• Alcohol is absorbed directly and
quickly into the bloodstream through
the walls of the digestive tract, then it
flows quickly to the brain.
• Mental abilities are affected first.
Then physical abilities become
impaired.
3 AREAS OF THE BRAIN THAT
ARE AFFECTED BY ALCOHOL
1. First Area - controls judgment and reason.
2. Second Area - controls reaction time and
coordination.
3. Third Area - controls seeing and speech.
These happen in this order.
• Alcohol is more likely to affect the
actions of a beginning driver than
the actions of a more experienced
driver.
BAC – BLOOD ALCOHOL
CONCENTRATION
• Tells the % of alcohol in a
person’s bloodstream.
• Each drink adds about 0.02 to
0.03% to a person’s BAC.
AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL IN
STANDARD DRINKS
• 12 oz. of beer, 5 oz. of wine, and 1 ½
oz. of whiskey (80 proof) contains
approximately the same amount of
alcohol.
• Proof describes the strength of liquor.
Divide the proof number by 2 to
determine the percentage of alcohol.
BAC DEPENDS ON 3 FACTORS
1. Amount of alcohol consumed.
2. Period of time during which the
alcohol was consumed.
3. The person’s body weight.
• A person’s system oxidizes
alcohol at approximately ¾ of a
standard drink in one hour.
• Only time can reduce the body’s
BAC and that person’s degree of
impairment.
• A person’s liver is what eliminates
alcohol from the body. The liver
gets rid of 90-95% of the alcohol.
• Cirrhosis – A liver disease caused
from long term alcohol abuse.
FACTORS THAT DETERMINE THE DEGREE
OF IMPAIRMENT CAUSED BY ALCOHOL
1. The number of drinks a person consumes,
and the amount of alcohol in each drink.
2. Amount of time over which a given amount
was consumed.
3. Amount and type of food in the stomach at
the time of drinking.
4. A person’s body weight.
5. A person’s physical & emotional state.
6. A person’s age and drinking experience.
WAYS TO SLOW DOWN ALCOHOL
ABSORPTION INTO THE BODY
1. Eat food before and while drinking.
2. Space your drinks apart.
When alcohol is mixed with carbonated
beverages, the rate of absorption is
faster.
4 WAYS OTHER DRUGS CAN
AFFECT A PERSON
1. Depressants – Slows down the central
nervous system. Gets you too relaxed.
2. Stimulants – Speeds up the central nervous
system. When first taken, you get a feeling of
high energy and alertness. This soon wears
off, and a person gets tired very quickly.
• 3. Hallucinogens – Alters thinking and
personality as well as distorts a
person’s sense of direction, distance,
and time.
• 4. Marijuana – Impairs judgment,
memory, depth perception, and
coordination.
OTC DRUGS
• Many of these medicines can
cause drowsiness, dizziness,
slowed reaction time, and poor
judgment.
• Read the label before driving.
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
• Most of these are stronger than
OTC drugs.
• These come with an explanation
of possible side effects.
IMPLIED CONSENT LAW
• When a person receives a drivers license,
they automatically give consent to be
tested for BAC if arrested on suspicion of
DUI.
• All states have this.
• If you refuse to be tested, your license will
be automatically suspended for 6 months
even if the driver is not convicted of a
DUI.
• BAC of .08 – Legally drunk in Illinois.
ZERO TOLERANCE LAW
• It is illegal for persons under the
age of 21 to drive with any
amount of alcohol in their blood.
LEGAL WAYS TO DETERMINE BAC
1. Breath Test – Most common for
alcohol.
2. Blood Test
3. Urine Test
FIELD SOBRIETY TEST
• A series of on the spot, roadside
tests which helps an officer detect
driver impairment.
IF YOU ARE PULLED OVER BY
THE POLICE
1. Pull over to the right and stop in a
safe place.
2. Keep your hands visible as the
officer approaches.
3. Stay in your vehicle and follow the
instructions the officer gives you.
4. You will be required to show
your drivers license and proof
of insurance.
Texting While Driving
• Good Morning America – Texting Caught
on Tape