Alcohol and driving combination that kills. The consumption of alcohol brings to the driver a number of negative consequences while driving such as difficulty in estimating distances, reduction of vision capacity, increase in reaction time, drowsiness, etc. Below are analyzed the symptoms observed in the driver's behavior and which of the two sexes is most affected.
Various studies in the EU countries have shown that the high alcohol content in the driver's blood significantly reduces his driving ability, resulting in the greater number of road accidents due to excessive alcohol consumption.
For this reason, permissible limits were established depending on age, type of vehicle (two-wheeler, truck), etc. beyond which driving is prohibited.
In Greece, the Highway Code (K.O.K.), in Article 42, states that for a driver the permissible alcohol limit by the method of blood sampling is 0.5 per thousand while with the exhalation method it is at 0.25 milligrams per liter of exhaled air provided that the measurement is done with special certified alcohol meters.
It is noteworthy that there is a special procedure, which can be done within 7 days from the day of the measurement, in order to determine the suitability of the alcohol meter.
For drivers of public passenger cars, lorries with a permissible weight of more than 3.5 tons, school and other categories of buses, ambulances, vehicles transporting dangerous goods, motorcycles and mopeds as well as for new drivers who have obtained a driving license for a period of less than 2 years, the maximum permissible percentage of alcohol in the blood is set at 0.20 per thousand and in the air exhaled at 0.10 milligrams.
Alcohol and driving – What symptoms are observed in the driver's behavior
The effects and symptoms that alcohol brings to the human body differ, depending on the percentage of alcohol present in the body.
What are the negative effects of alcohol on driving?
The consumption of alcohol acts directly on the brain, causing the driver a number of negative consequences while driving such as:
However, the driver's reaction time is an important factor in both creating and avoiding a road accident (see what is the correct safety distance between two vehicles with numbers).)
This time depends on the timing of the assessment of a series of events during driving in a complex environment (occurrence of danger), the psychological and physical condition of the driver as well as the existing visibility conditions especially during the night (see 5 Reasons why night driving is considered the weakest link).)
With certainty we can mention that a driver under the influence of alcohol, due to the reduced perception of the space, needs much more time to react (twice as many in some cases and three times as much) than a sober driver.
For example the 1 second will become 2 seconds and maybe 3 seconds depending on the conditions it has to face.
Alcohol has a different effect on each person and depends on other factors such as:
• weight
• gender
• age
• the type of feed
• the time of consumption of the food
• the psychological state
• physical condition
• the level of metabolism
The biggest enemy in analyzing the conditions of a car accident is time.
Make it your ally!
How the percentage of alcohol in the blood is calculated and what we mean by alcoholemia
Alcohol is the percentage of alcohol present in the blood and is calculated on the basis of 1000. By the word 'blood' we mean all the organic fluid that everyone has in their body.
For example, if after the appropriate blood test the blood alcohol rate is 0.5 per 1000, this means that it corresponds to half a gram of alcohol per liter of organic liquid.
But it is particularly important to see how alcohol is calculated in both men and women.
Alcohol and driving Which of the sexes is most affected?
Men
A man weighing 80 kg consumes a liter of beer, containing 5 degrees of alcohol. It has been estimated that the liquid of a man accounts for 70% of his total weight.
Accordingly, it has 56 kg of organic liquid, inside which alcohol is scattered, which is 35 grams.
The ratio is 35:56, which means that per liter of organic liquid contains 0.6 of a gram of alcohol.
The man in our example has a blood alcohol content of 0.6 out of 1000.
Women
The rate of influence of alcohol in women is higher and as a result they are more at risk.
If a woman consumes the same amount of beer as the man in our example, the result will be different.
Women, compared to men, usually weigh less.
Furthermore, their organic liquid accounts for only 60% of their weight.
For example, suppose that a woman weighs 55 kg, then the alcohol will be dispersed in just 33 kg of organic liquid. That is, the percentage of alcohol is 35:33, so 1.06 in 1000.
This shows that with the same amount of alcohol the effects on women are completely different and less favourable to them.
Simply put, alcohol "burns" more women than male drivers.
Alcohol and driving
It is very important to realize that alcohol and driving do not go together!
If we want to have fun by consuming alcohol we are simply preparing a safe way of going back to our loved ones.