Understanding the Dangers of Alcohol and Drugs
- Don’t drink and ride. Studies have found that riders consumed alcohol in:
- 30% of all ORV fatalities
- 14% of all reported accidents
- Alcohol depresses the central nervous system, affects your judgment, and slows reaction time.
- Alcohol decreases your attention span, which is risky when you have only a single task to perform. But it may be critical when you are performing multiple tasks, such as steering your own vehicle while keeping track of several others in the area.
- Most people become slightly intoxicated after only one drink.
- Over-the-counter drugs and prescription drugs, particularly tranquilizers and barbiturates, have effects similar to alcohol.
- Marijuana slows your reflexes and reduces your night vision.
- Cocaine and amphetamines may increase your concentration temporarily but cause fatigue as the drug wears off. They also give you an exaggerated feeling of well-being, which affects judgment and leads to reckless behavior.
Because you can drink faster than your system can burn the alcohol off, there is an increasing level of alcohol in your blood. This level is referred to as Blood Alcohol Content (BAC).