M.C. Geokas*, S.
Papanicolaou,** Chuck Kidder***, W.B.(Bill) Carlson****
It is with some degree of
concealed embarrassment (at least for two of us), that we are discussing
alcohol as being a scourge for the driving public, and the reason for this
should be obvious. Ulysses succeeded in
escaping from Cyclops' cave by getting him drunk with wine and Dionysus, the
God of wine, was honored by the Greeks with drunken orgies, called Dionysia. Social drinking had become an accepted
custom in Greece around 400 B.C. and the Symposia were drinking parties. However today, for all motorized nations
including contemporary Greek Society,
alcohol creates a huge problem in traffic safety. Alcohol abuse in general costs the United States more than $116
billion per year, because its consumption is widespread, with three quarters of
the population drinking alcoholic beverages.
The basic cause for this epidemic, is due to the fact that alcohol represents
an effective drug in relieving anxiety, depression and the pressures of modern
society.
In Western nations a special
glamour surrounds wine, champagne and the famous "heavy weapons,"
with vodka as the leading culprit and well-known problem in Russia. During annual auctions of old wines in San
Francisco, in close proximity to Napa Valley, the Mecca of wine making, a
bottle of rare wine can fetch up to $25,000 or more. About $1.2 billion is spend annually by the industry, to
aggressively advertise alcohol consumption as manly, and as social lubricant
that leads to financial success and prestige and enhances romantic
settings. However, the easy
availability and social acceptability of alcohol, despite its negative effect
on the meticulously organized function of the human brain, constitute an
enormous problem for our motorized planet.
Alcohol consumption is a veritable menace especially to Greek drivers of passenger cars, trucks and
motorcycles, because of an additional factor, mainly the clash between
technology and culture.
THE NATURE OF ALCOHOL. This is a pharmacological
substance (whose chemical name is ethanol) with small molecular weight (46)
which is absorbed quickly, especially on an empty stomach, it travels through
the liver, where it is mainly metabolized in the end, and is distributed
relatively fast within all body fluids, both within and outside body
cells. About 90-95% of alcohol is
metabolized by enzymes in the liver and the rest comes out intact from the
lungs, the urine and sweat. Alcohol is
concentrated in the brain and the lungs due to their rich blood supply and to
lesser degree within other organs. What
the general public does not realize is that the role of alcohol on biochemical
processes of the human body, is that of an aggressive troublemaker.
Specifically in the brain, because the target of alcohol is the entire membrane
of its cells and not specific areas (called receptor sites), there is no
antidote against its effects. Furthermore,
because the brain is the center of the nervous system, and as such the
headquarters of the human body, the effects of alcohol on the driver are
detrimental.
ALCOHOL AND THE DRIVER. All drivers are negatively affected by alcohol
as related to judgment, vision, coordination and reaction time. If you could think of your brain as a
computer, alcohol does not shut it down altogether, until you have drunk a
great deal, but rather, it short-circuits your brain, without understanding
what is happening to you. This effect
produces serious driving errors which can lead to crashes. At alcohol levels above 0.05 % the ability
to process information and to perform complex tasks is reduced.
Around 0.10% levels (two to three drinks an hour) vigilance, accuracy,
short-term memory and making quick decisions, are deficient, and reaction time
is lengthened. Serious driving errors
of DUI include, driving too fast or too slowly, driving in the wrong lane,
running over the curb, weaving constantly or driving between lanes, handling
the car with quick jerky starts, not signaling and failing to use lights
properly, running red lights and stop signs or passing improperly, and showing
overcautiousness. The concentration of
alcohol in blood (BAC) is expressed as weight of alcohol in milligrams (mg) per
unit of volume (100 milliliters of blood).
For legal purposes though, alcohol level in blood is not necessary. It can be measured much more simply by
analyzing exhaled breath. The
probability for a crash increases at any BAC above zero. Even at 0.20%, alcohol increases the
probability of a crash, which is increased significantly at 0.50% and climbs
quickly after about 0.80%. For drivers aged 35 and above, with BAC over 0.15%
on a weekend night, the possibility of death on a single-vehicle crash is about
380 times higher as compared to a sober driver. The BAC depends on the amount
you drink, how fast you drink, on an empty stomach and on your body weight.
Tiredness and lack of sleep increase the effect of alcohol.
ALCOHOL RELATED CRASHES. Alcohol
related crashes occur at all hours but are more frequent at night and on
weekends. In 1999 drivers of passenger
cars who were killed between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., 53 per cent had alcohol
concentrations 0.10% and above, as compared to 15 per cent of the drivers
during other hours. Drivers who were
killed on weekends (6:00 p.m. Friday, to 6:00 a.m. on Monday) had alcohol
concentrations at 0.10% and above.
Fatal crashes due to alcohol are highest for men aged 21 to 40.
Fortunately however, Greek women drink much less than men or no alcohol at all,
and it could be advisable for them to do the family driving on weekends.
DANGEROUS MYTHOLOGY ABOUT
ALCOHOL:
Myth: Alcohol increases your ability to drive any type of vehicle.
Truth: Alcohol is a drug,
will make you less alert and reduce your ability to drive safely.
Myth: Some people can drink a
lot and not be affected by it.
Truth: Everyone who drinks is
affected by alcohol. There are no
exemptions.
Myth: If you eat a lot of
food first, you will not get drunk.
Truth: Food (especially fats)
will slow down effects of alcohol but will not prevent them.
Myth: Coffee and a little
fresh air will help you to sober up and be able to drive.
Truth: Only the passing of
time will help you to sober up-other methods just do not work.
Myth: Stick with beer because
it is not as strong as wine of whiskey.
Truth: A few beers (5% alcohol), are the same as few glasses of wine (12%) or few shots of whiskey (80 proof) regarding the total amount of alcohol.
IN SUMMARY: A driver under the influence (DUI) has always
greater probability for a crash and is unable to judge by himself the true
ability to drive safely. Be honest with
yourself. If you plan to drive do not
drink any alcohol at all. If you are
with a group, it must be one person who will not touch alcohol and serve as the
designated driver. Do not count on
strong coffee because it will not help.
If you have gotten drunk do not get behind the wheel, not even the next
morning, because your ability is reduced even the next day. People who say that
do not have a hangover and no headache, perform as badly as those who felt
awful the day after.
We foresee that Governments of many countries will feel obligated to take
draconian measures against drunk drivers.
A recent study of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has found
that the State of California is the best on Traffic Safety Laws. Specifically, for DUI the cost of the violation can be a whooping $7,000, which had
a dramatic effect in reducing the number of crash victims. Furthermore, extremely effective in America
has been the work of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). Mothers who lost children to drunk drivers,
have mobilized and have accomplished enactment of strong penalties against drunk
driving. Their effectiveness has been
astonishing as illustrated by the public, first of the year campaign, with a
powerful advertisement on 28-12-2000 in the Op-Ed page of the New York Times,
paid for by ExxonMobil, which costs about $22,000.
Especially for Greece, the problem of DUI cannot be solved without the general
mobilization of the Mothers who have lost children to drunk drivers. Only these grieving Greek Mothers, like
their American counterparts, will be able to demand and obtain from the Government,
the needed necessary Draconian measures against drunk drivers, with passion,
iron will and perseverance.
2-1-2001
*/(Em) Professor of Medicine
and Biological Chemistry UC, Davis School of Medicine,
Science Advisor to the
California Highway Patrol (CHP) Commissioner and President
Task-Force on Traffic Safety.
**/ An Economist and
Executive at Boeing Corporation, Seattle, WA and Task-Force Program Manager.
***/(Ret)Captain California
Highway Patrol, Task-Force Vice-Chairman.
****/Deputy Commissioner
(CHP) Former Director Highway Patrol Academy, Task-Force Chairman.
The Task-Force has been
organized by the Think-Tank, Demokritos Society of America, a non-profit
&501(c)(3) Organization.
FAX: 925\946-1987
E-mail: geokas@ix.netcom.com
WEB: WWW.DEMOKRITOS.ORG