How to help prevent drinking and driving
Drinking and driving can result in serious injury, fatality, damage and legal ramifications. Help protect yourself from the dangers of drinking and driving.
Overview: Learn to help prevent drinking and driving and practice safe behaviors on the road. The consequences of drunk driving may include license suspension, jail time, ignition interlocks, job challenges, increased premiums, accidents leading to injury or death and financial burdens. Learn to detect signs of drunk drivers on the road. Help prevent drinking and driving yourself by choosing a designated driver, utilizing a rideshare service if you have been drinking and looking out for other drivers in your group.
Plenty of people know that drinking and driving don't mix but, unfortunately, many still do it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 32 people die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol impaired driver each day.
What is drinking and driving?
States differ in what they call it. Some use terms like driving under the influence, driving while intoxicated, drunk driving or impaired driving. All states except Utah consider a baseline blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at 0.08% a crime.
For those under age 21, zero-tolerance laws criminalize driving with extremely small amounts of alcohol. States may also have enhanced penalties in place for those who drive with very high BACs, minors in the vehicle or multiple convictions.
The consequences of drinking and driving
When you drink and drive, you're compromising your cognitive ability and responsiveness, which increases your risk of an accident. Get caught, and a single drinking and driving infraction may have legal, financial, personal and even professional ramifications.
- License suspension — many states suspend your license for varying lengths of time, sometimes up to a year. Multiple convictions may revoke your license. Drivers with a commercial driver's license (CDL) might have their licenses suspended for a longer period. The employers of drivers with a CDL could also be liable for the actions of the driver and the driver's future employment might also be impacted.
- Jail time — some states may require mandatory jail time, even for a first offense, as well as fees and fines.
- Ignition interlocks — you may be required to install an ignition interlock device on your car; if it detects alcohol, it will prevent you from operating the vehicle.
- Job challenges — a single drunk driving conviction may lead to job loss or restrictions (i.e., operating company vehicles).
- Increased insurance premiums — higher insurance rates almost always accompany drunk driving convictions as you are now considered a high risk driver.
- Injury or death — the unfortunate reality is drunk driving may result in fatal accidents or serious injury. Consider the risk you impose on not only yourself but others when you choose to drive drunk.
- Financial burdens — if you sustained injuries in an auto accident as a result of your drunk driving, depending on the laws of your state, your insurance company may deny payment for treatment of your injuries.
How can you detect drunk drivers?
Law enforcement officials say there are several signs associated with drinking and driving. Keeping these signs in mind may help to avoid a dangerous situation:
- Making wide turns
- Weaving, swerving, drifting or straddling the center line
- Almost striking an object or vehicle
- Driving on the wrong side of the road
- Driving at a very slow speed
- Stopping without cause
- Braking erratically
- Responding slowly to traffic signals
- Turning abruptly or illegally
- Driving after dark with headlights off
Always practice defensive driving, stay alert and avoid distractions when behind the wheel.
How to help prevent drinking and driving
Drunk driving prevention begins with planning ahead and making good decisions. Here are some tips to help avoid drunk driving:
- Always choose a non-drinking designated driver — every time you go out.
- If you go out alone, do not drink alcohol. Order a non-alcoholic beverage such as a soft drink or water.
- If you've been drinking, call a taxi or rideshare service for a ride like Uber or Lyft.
- Never get in a car with a driver who has been drinking.
- If you can safely do so, help protect others by taking the keys of an impaired individual if they attempt to drive. They may be mad at you, but the alternative could be much worse.
Be careful on the road. Pull over and report drivers you suspect to be under the influence by calling 9-1-1. Learn more about drinking and driving laws in your state.
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The information in this article was obtained from various sources not associated with State Farm® (including State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates). While we believe it to be reliable and accurate, we do not warrant the accuracy or reliability of the information. State Farm is not responsible for, and does not endorse or approve, either implicitly or explicitly, the content of any third-party sites that might be hyperlinked from this page. The information is not intended to replace manuals, instructions or information provided by a manufacturer or the advice of a qualified professional, or to affect coverage under any applicable insurance policy. These suggestions are not a complete list of every loss control measure. State Farm makes no guarantees of results from use of this information.
Neither State Farm nor its agents provide tax or legal advice.
This article was drafted with the help of AI and reviewed by State Farm editors.
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