As an adult, one of the most difficult decisions that many of us face on a regular basis is the question of whether or not we can safely drive after having a drink. While numerous public safety announcements attempt to frighten us as schoolchildren into thinking that drinking and driving would lead to certain death, the reality of the matter is far more nuanced. After all, the body can process alcohol over time, and the effects of drinking come on slowly and then recede over time.
Very few adults would consider it dangerous to drink a beer at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon for happy hour and then drive home at 8:00 that evening. Even estimating conservatively, most people will process the alcohol in a single beer and be completely legally sober over the span of nearly four hours.
However, the rate at which our bodies process alcohol is not constant or equal. Different individuals may still take longer than they think to ease back below the legal limit for driving. A recent investigation by the TODAY show revealed that several attendees at a holiday work party tested above the legal limit when they were ready to leave, thinking they were surely below the threshold.
Should you attend a party or simply go out for drink, be sure that you carefully consider how much alcohol you consume and how long your body takes to process alcohol before you choose to get behind the wheel. Driving after drinking, even if you believe that you’re mostly sober, is still very dangerous and legally inadvisable.
If you do miscalculate your sobriety after a drink or two and receive DUI charges, An experienced attorney can assess your options and determine a strong path forward defending your rights and privileges.
Source: Today, “Holiday party experiment: You may be drunker than you think,” Jeff Rossen and Lindsey Bomnin, accessed Dec. 01, 2017