ALCOHOL AND ACCIDENTS
Studies conducted by the Division of Roads and Transport Technology of the CSIR have shown that alcohol is a major factor contributing to accidents.
CSIR
The National Road Safety Council advises motorists who have exceeded either the legal limit or their own capacity to:
Travel by taxi or public transport;
Allow a non-drinking friend or relative to drive them home; or
Sleep where they are and drive home the next day.
HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?
People often ask how much they can drink before they go past the limit.
Here is a "basic" answer:
1 metric tot is 8,4 g of ethyl alcohol.
The average beer contains between 13 - 16 grams of ethyl alcohol.
One beer is therefore ? equivalent of a double e.g. brandy.
In trials all the participants (Male & Female students) exceeded the legal limit = 0,05g/dl after two beers.
According to the Widmark formula:
A = p x c x 10 x r
A = amount of alcohol in grams
p = mass of the person
x 10 = to convert promille (parts per thousand) to g/dl or g/%
"r" = Widmark factor which is on average 0,7 for men and 0,6 for females.
c = blood alcohol level.
Blood alcohol level = A divided by p x r x 10.
As far as wine is concerned: It would depend on whether you are referring to fortified wine or not. (Fortified implying that alcohol had been added to the wine)
Usually on any bottle the % of alcohol is indicated. 10% would imply 10 grams/alcohol per 100 ml of wine. Then once again the Widmark formulae can be applied to get an estimation of expected blood alcohol level.
Many other factors determine the uptake of alcohol. These factors include:
Volume, strength, type of dilutant ( e.g. Coke), type of meal, medication, previous operations, temp of drink, water content of organs, diffusion gradient, rate of blood flow, any GIT disease etc. The effects vary from person to person. No set pattern of behavior does exist. We do not wish to elaborate on all these factors. As you can probably deduct, there is not a simple answer to the question!!
To conclude - do not drink and drive!
UNDER THE INFLUENCE
Although some drivers may appear sober with a blood-alcohol level of 0,08g per 100ml or higher, the level was fixed at this figure in the past because extensive research showed this was the point at which most drivers became accident-prone through drink. However, some people may show signs of intoxication when their blood-alcohol level is below 0,05g per 100ml. This is why proposals for lowering the limit to 0,05g per 100ml were published in 1996.
There is no standard test which will prove that a person is under the influence. In order to prove such a charge, a court will have to rely on the opinions of witnesses and on reports of the standard of driving and the conduct of the accused at the time of the alleged offence.
A person accustomed to heavy drinking may have a high alcohol tolerance. But even if, say, a man's driving ability, even after many drinks, is unimpaired, if he drives when the level of alcohol in his blood is 0,05g per 100ml or higher, he is guilty of an offence.
The action of alcohol as a depressant of the central nervous system may be aggravated by simultaneous use of certain medicines. Many of these preparations can be obtained from a pharmacy without a prescription, and it is easy to miss the printed warning on the container that their use with alcohol may lead to drowsiness, blurred vision or poor co-ordination.
If your doctor prescribes any medicines, ask whether their use aggravates the effects of alcohol. When medicines are bought without prescription, a properly qualified pharmacist should be able to give you this information. If you are in any doubt, simply do not drink.
