25 November 2005

Drunk Driving Still Kills.

You know that drunk driving kills. Occassionally, however, a dose of graphic detail serves as a good reminder. This time, a drunk driver heading into the mountains near Red Rocks killed a grandmother, and left another in the hospital for a long time.

Have a designated driver who really doesn't drink. Take your friend's keys. Do what I have done once, and rudely stay overnight without warning at the party you promised to drive home from, because you are too drunk to drive safely home. Call a cab, it is a lot cheaper than a DUI ticket. Remember that the legal limit is 0.08 BAC, not 0.10 BAC as it was a few years ago. If you don't know how many drinks it takes for someone of your weight to get to 0.08, you shouldn't be driving. For most women, anything more than two drinks is too much. For most men, anything more than four drinks is too much. If you are small, generally speaking, that means one drink for women and two or three for men. Coffee plus booze does not equal safe to drive.

Have a happy, but safe, holiday.

1 comment:

Off Colfax said...

Another option for you, at least here in the Denver area.

Designated Driver Services

I used to work for one of the (alas, now defunct) companies that operated in the Denver/Boulder area, and should you use it once, you will generally find it to be a wonderful thing. Last I knew, there were still two companies in operation. RideClub and No DUI Denver.

Speaking as someone who has been hit by a drunk driver, had friends drive drunk and seriously hurt people, and seen friends suffer after their own encounters with the drunk drivers... Well, let's just say that's one area that I'm fairly rabid about.

Please. Don't drive drunk. It's not just your insurance rates you have to worry about if you do.