Let's Prevent Impaired Driving!

Virtually all drivers know that drinking and driving is dangerous. Alcohol impairs judgment, vision, reaction time and muscle control – all abilities required for safe driving.

While drunk driving is on the decline, it remains an epidemic. In 2019, 10,142 Americans were killed in alcohol-related crashes – equivalent to one death every 52 minutes. According to surveys conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 14% of drivers admit to having driven when they thought their Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) was close to or over the legal limit at least once in the past year. In total, alcohol-related crashes cost the public nearly $50 billion annually.

State laws across the country criminalize this behavior. It is a crime to drive in the United States with a BAC at or above 0.08%. Compared with sober motorists, drivers with a BAC of .08% are more than five times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash and four times more likely to be involved in a crash of any severity.

Drivers with a BAC below the legal limit can get a ticket if their ability to drive is impaired. And even one drink can be too much. Compared with sober motorists, drivers with a BAC of .05% are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash and twice as likely to be involved in a crash of any severity.

Given these disheartening statistics, there is only one acceptable message for motorists: if you choose to drink, don’t drive. Use a designated driver or an alternate mode of transportation.

AAA is committed to educating members about the risks of drunk driving. Learn more about the dangers of drinking and driving. 

When people think of impaired driving, they usually think of driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, or illicit drugs. But prescription and over-the-counter drugs can also negatively affect a driver’s ability to operate a vehicle. Federal statistics suggest that 1 in every 10 people get behind the wheel after using prescription or over-the-counter medicines that can impair driving.

These include sleep aids, anti-anxiety drugs and even allergy medicines. But, not all prescription and over-the-counter drugs affect driving. AAA recommends being proactive by asking your doctor or pharmacist about how the medications you take could affect your ability to drive.

Learn more about prescription & over-the-counter drugs.