New UCSD Study: “Buzzed Driving” as Dangerous as Drunk Driving

By Aline Miranda on January 20, 2014

You may have seen the TV ads that state “buzzed driving is drunk driving.” Now, NBC 7 San Diego reports that a new study on traffic accidents by UCSD shows even “minimally buzzed” drivers – those with a very low 0.01% blood-alcohol level – often cause fatal car accidents.

UCSD sociologist David Phillips, Ph.D., led the study published in the British Medical Journal. The study, which examined 570,731 fatal collisions between 1994 and 2011, shows drinking and driving at any blood-alcohol level is dangerous and often leads to more severe and more deadly accidents. Phillips told NBC 7 San Diego, “There is no blood-alcohol content so low that it is safe to drive.” The study found that drivers with a BAC of 0.01% are 46% more likely to cause an accident as compared with a sober driver. In other words, having even one drink will substantially impair your ability to operate a vehicle safely. Dr. Phillips says the US should consider lowering the legal limit to .05%, which is the legal standard for over 100 countries worldwide.

For more information on this story: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/UCSD-Study-Minimally-Buzzed-Drivers-and-Car-Crashes-240673261.html#ixzz2qy7JkBem

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