Consuming alcohol increases the risk of being involved in a crash because
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it impairs vision, delays reaction time, lowers vigilance and increases poor
Reduce the legal limit for drinking and driving
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judgement. Physiologically, alcohol can also lower blood pressure and depress
Reduce the legal limit for drinking and driving to a blood alcohol content of 0.02% or below. 48
consciousness and respiration and increase drowsiness. This is due to the depressing or stimulating effects of alcohol on the brain, depending on how much is consumed. It also lowers inhibition and increases risky behaviour, such as speeding, not wearing a seatbelt or crash helmet, and taking other drugs that can also impair driving ability. The crash risk from drinking and driving increases exponentially as blood alcohol concentration increases – in other words, the effects become progressively worse with each additional drink. In South Africa approximately 14 000 - 15 000 people are killed on the country’s roads every year. About half of the motor vehicle drivers killed on our roads are under the influence of alcohol. Among pedestrians, alcoholrelatedness is even higher – about 60% of the deaths. For this reason, the WHO includes drink-driving policies and countermeasures among its 10 recommended target areas for alcohol policy and intervention, and the enforcement of blood alcohol concentration limits among its key road safety interventions. In South Africa it has been estimated that if we were to eliminate drunk driving entirely, we would reduce our road traffic fatalities by a quarter.
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