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Are You at Risk for DUII?
Think that just because you had one glass of wine at dinner that you couldn´t possibly get a DUII (Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants)? Or perhaps DUII is the last thing on your mind even though you´re a little loopy from pain medication? "It´s OK," you rationalize as you slide behind the wheel, "after all, my doctor prescribed it."
Think again. It´s illegal to drive under the influence of alcohol, controlled drugs, or inhalants. And local and state police are becoming pretty savvy about spotting impaired drivers. They have to be. A recent study concluded that one in four drivers consume alcohol, or drugs, or sometimes even both, within two hours of taking the wheel.
That Last Drink Can Really Cost You
Be assured that even a first offense DUII is traumatic. For starters, there´s the one-year driver license suspension. If you´re fortunate, you may get a hardship permit to drive to work and your mandatory treatment program. You´ll also get to amuse your family and friends with the comical faces you´ll make blowing into the ignition interlock Breathalyzer. And as bad as all that is, you can also expect to fork over several thousand dollars in fees, costs, and additional insurance premiums. All in all, a pretty unforgettable experience, which of course is precisely what it´s intended to be.
Word About Impairment
You may think you must have a blood alcohol content (BAC) of at least 0.08% in order to be convicted of DUII. It´s a popular misconception. Actually, 0.08% is just the level at which you are legally presumed to be impaired. If you drink anything at all and fail field sobriety tests, you can still be convicted of DUII. Why´s that? Well, let´s illustrate what .08% BAC means. To get to that point of intoxication, an average man would have to chug four drinks in an hour on an empty stomach. For an average woman, three drinks would do the trick. Inexperienced drinkers can really be tipsy and seriously impaired with have a blood alcohol content way less than .08%.
Then there´s also the issue of drugged drivers. We´re not only talking about marijuana, cocaine, and other recreational drugs, but also medications prescribed by physicians. A 1998 study in the British medical journal The Lancet revealed that people who take tranquilizers like Valium and then drive are twice as likely to be involved in traffic accidents.
Even over-the-counter medications pose a hazard. Non-prescription Ibuprofen products such as Advil, Motrin, and Unpin have drowsiness cited as a side effect. The cold and allergy seasons are particularly dangerous. One eye-opening study revealed that drivers who´ve taken sedating antihistamines are at a 50% greater risk of becoming involved in a fatal accident! Technically it´s not against Oregon law to be impaired by over-the-counter medications. But you can still earn a reckless driving charge.
Drug and Alcohol Interactions
Alcohol and drugs taken together, as well as drug combinations, can especially cause impairment. This is a serious problem in Oregon. In 1999 a third of all impaired drivers tested were found to have two or more types of substances in their system. Many people mixed recreational drugs and alcohol, but not all. Last year, for example, an Oregon State Police trooper arrested a woman for DUII after she rear-ended a school bus. Blood tests revealed that she´d taken Formal, and Codeine, prescription medications for migraine headaches.
In a recent tragic case, a popular Vancouver area health science teacher was taking the prescription medication Zoloft for depression. He drank alcohol and blacked out. He later couldn´t remember getting into the pickup truck that he was driving when he became airborne and killed a woman on a sidewalk. As he was being sentenced to five years in prison for vehicular homicide, the victim´s daughter, whom he had previously lectured in high school on the dangers of drunk driving, was in the courtroom.
The holiday season is a time to celebrate. But remember to celebrate responsibly. Your choices affect more than just yourself. Poor choices have consequences that affect your family and, possibly, your job.
Note: You may not drive “on the job”, even in your own car, with restricted driving privileges. If you have an employee who obtains a “Hardship Permit” for work-related driving, you must notify DAS RMD at (503) 373-7475 before allowing the employee to drive.
Fall 00, Vol 14, No 1
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