Module 7Jessica Link

Topic 1- Intro to Alcohol

• There are 5 reasons why people choose to drink alcohol:

1. Parents use

2. Peer pressure

3. Cultural Acceptance

4. Secretly from anxiety and frustration

5. to have fun

!!!!DRINKING AND DRIVING IS NOT LEGAL AT ANY AGE!!!!

Topic 2- Nature of Alcohol Related Crashes

Statistics for drug-related motor vehicle crashes are often unavailable because they are under-reported.

As of 2009, 100% of drivers under 21 were represented in an alcohol related crash

31,000 drivers were convicted of DUI in Virginia (2009)

Two reasons why drivers under 21 are over-represented in alcohol related crashes is because they are inexperienced with alcohol and inexperienced with driving.

Topic 3- BAC Factors

BAC (Blood Alcohol Content): the percentage of alcohol in your blood.

6 Factors that affect your BAC:

1. time spent drinking

2. gender

3. food consumption

4. size of drink

5. alcohol content of drink

An alcoholic beverage that is 100 proof is 50% alcohol

Women can't drink as much alcohol as men because we don't metabolize it as well.... ~different enzymes ~bodily fluids

The amount of food consumed before drinking affects the absorption of alcohol by the stomach because it coats the lining of the stomach and slows it down.

Alcohol is eliminated from the body through oxidation into the liver, usually at a rate of .015 per hour.

Topic 3a- Physiological and Psychological Effects of Alcohol

Alcohol affects the heart, stomach, and brain as well as attention, memory, emotions, and aggression.

Mixing drugs and alcohol will intensify the effects of both drugs.

Alcohol intensifies standard emotions of the consumer.

Topic 4- Effects of Alcohol and Other Drugs on the Driving Tasks

Alcohol effects eye focus, can cause double vision, judging distance, side vision, and night vision.

The drug (other than alcohol) most often found in drivers involved in crashes is marijuana.

Marijuana effects memory and learning, perception, problem solving, motor coordination, tracking ability, and concentration.

Antihistamines and Cold medications affect driving.

Tranquilizers, blood pressure medications, insulin, stimulants, and narcotics can also affect driving.

Topics 4&5- Driver Fatigue/Road Rage

Fatigue is the body's natural downtime brought on upon an extended amount of physical or mental work.

Midnight- 6am & 1pm-3pm are the body's natural downtimes

Get good sleep, take breaks and get fresh air in order to prevent fatigue while driving.

Road Rage is when a driver becomes aggressive or violent behind the wheel due to driving conditions.

There is quiet road rage, verbal road rage and epic road rage.

More cars, traffic congestion, stress, hostility, and violence all lead to road rage.