Random Thoughts

Aug. 6, 2003

One for the road? Not

Teetotallers are grinning, bar owners are groaning, and casual drinkers are wondering if they‘re now a menace to society under new rules on alcohol and driving.
So before you raise that fourth chocolate martini to your lips down at Ye Olde Burnt Steak & Whitefish Grille, you may want to read the following on how much booze is now considered too much under a new Michigan law.
On July 15, Gov. Jennifer Grandholm okayed a new law which lowers the legal Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) level from .10 to .08. According to Jim Rink, a writer for AAA Michigan, the new law “will save the state $11.5 million in highway funding and also save as many as 600 lives nationwide.“
Many Michigan bar and restaurant owners fear, however, that the new law will also mean fewer patrons after the somewhat overserved start blowing .08 on breathalyzers and paying the painful consequences.
But that‘s just tough luck say those behind the wheel steering this issue, because Michigan is being forced to adopt the lower limit by new federal requirements for an .08 BAC standard. Failure to obey the feds would mean that Michigan would pay a 2 percent non-compliance penalty levied against highway construction funds after October 1, according to AAA Michigan. And the state would lose an extra 2 percent in federal highway funds for each year of non-compliance.
Michigan is far from alone. So far, 39 states along with Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico have walked the line on compliance.
The good news is that, statistically, a lot of people will be alive & kicking next year, thanks to the new law. AAA Michigan‘s press release on the subject claims the following:

“According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), .08 BAC laws ‘had an 8% effect in reducing fatal crashes involving drivers at both high BACs and lower BACs and resulted in 275 fewer fatalities in the 16 states where they were in effect in 1997.‘
NHTSA estimates that between 500 and 600 additional lives could be saved if all 50 states adopted BAC laws.
“According to the 2002 Michigan Annual Drunk Driving Audit, 8,954 persons were injured and 358 killed in 15,209 alcohol-related crashes that year. In 2002, there were 57,789 alcohol-related arrests and 57,542 convictions.“

But, enough with the big numbers. What may be more helpful to those of you lifting a Labatt‘s out on the town is, how much is too much?
Well, according to the NHTSA, “A 170 lb. male typically would have to consume more than four drinks (12 oz. cans of beer) in one hour on an empty stomach to reach a BAC of .08. A 135 lb. female typically would have to consume three drinks in the same time frame.“
These days, of course, the average beer is a 16 oz. pint, and some restaurants even offer 24 oz. beers in those long glasses big enough to please an ostrich. If a 170 lb. man had three pints down at the brewpub, he‘d be cruising for trouble. On the other hand, who ever heard of a 170 lb. beerdrinker (male anyway)? This creature may not even exist, so add 50-100 lbs. and do the math yourself, if you‘re not too plastered.
What about lite beers and white wine? Multiply by two and subtract 40%?
It‘s kind of like one of those arithmetic problems we had back in grade school: “Johnny is a 240 lb. Blatz drinker with a 190 lb. wife named Sue who prefers Mudslides. If Johnny and Sue drink six Beefeater martinis, five 24 oz. black-and-tans, nine Jello shots and a Mudslide on St. Patrick‘s Day over a two-hour period, how many consecutive prison terms will they serve for driving through the back door of the bar if they aren‘t found lying under the table in a pool of green beer and nachos?“
I guess that‘s not so funny, considering the consequences of drunk driving, which is why the new law has materialized in the first place. What the new law offers is a chance for the overserved to pass their car keys on to a designated driver. Stewed in the passenger seat, they can reflect on the happy fact that Michigan has already saved $11.5 million in federal highway dough for 2004. That, and the fact that more of us will be alive to greet a new morning.