Don’t let holiday reveling take a wrong turn with alcohol misuse

University of Michigan Health System
Monday, 1 December 2003

Auto crashes involving alcohol are more likely to result in serious injury

'Tis the season to be jolly,' says a traditional holiday carol, and for many, the holiday season is a jolly, fun time when people's attention turns to dinners with family or friends, office parties and other festive get-togethers. Mixed drinks, wine and tasty punches often contribute to the holiday revels. Sadly, they contribute to deaths and injuries, as well.

Every year in the United States, over 42,000 people are killed in motor vehicle accidents. Alcohol is involved in 41 percent of all motor vehicle crash deaths and roughly one million injuries annually.

In general, alcohol-related crashes result in more severe injuries. Two of the main reasons for this are that alcohol-related crashes usually occur at higher rates of speed, and victims of these crashes are often not wearing seatbelts. However, University of Michigan researchers have identified another reason that these more severe injuries occur.

"For some reason, alcohol seems to decrease the body's tolerance to the forces one experiences in a crash. Anyone in the car who has been drinking, whether driver or passenger, is therefore at a greater risk for injury," explains Ronald Maio, D.O., a U-M emergency medicine physician and director of the U-M Injury Research Center. "Our research shows this can occur even if blood alcohol levels are below the legal definition of intoxication, which is .08 (80 milligrams per deciliter) in most states."

These findings are directly opposite of what most people believe - that being drunk protects a person from serious injury. Having a designated driver is perhaps the best way to decrease the risk of an alcohol-related motor vehicle crash. Also, make sure that you buckle up!

Maio adds, "But keep in mind, even with every safety precaution, the fact is that if you have alcohol in your system and you're involved in a motor vehicle crash, your injuries are going to be worse than if you didn't have alcohol in your system at the time."

Emergency medicine physicians urge holiday party goers to think before they drink and get into a car this holiday season.

Here are some important facts about drinking and driving:

• It is estimated that one in every four patients treated in some emergency departments are treated for reasons relating to alcohol intoxication or the consequences of heavy drinking.


• As few as one or two drinks can significantly impair your driving ability.


• If you are going to drink, designating a non-drinking driver before you head out for the evening is the way to go.


• Decide on a limit for the number of drinks you'll have in an evening and stick to it.


• Have no more than one standard measure drink per hour. A standard drink is probably smaller than you think - 12 ounces of beer is one bottle, 5 ounces of wine doesn't fill most glasses more than halfway, and 1.5 ounces of hard liquor doesn't quite fill a single shot glass. Men should have no more than 14 drinks per week; with no more than 4 drinks on any one day. Women and men 65 years of age or older should limit themselves to no more than 7 drinks per week with no more than 3 drinks on any one day.


• If you're pouring alcohol from a pitcher, pour your own, and only after you have emptied your glass. Do not let others decide how much you will drink.


• Avoid shots and drinking games.


• Be prepared to say "no thanks" to offers for more to drink, so that when it's offered you will stick to your limit.

For more information, or to contact University of Michigan Health System, see their website at: www.med.umich.edu