Taxis arent cheapor are they?

It started out with just a couple glasses of wine. It was girls night out and my friends and I had met up at a new wine bar we had been dying to try out. We were all relaxed and having a good time and we decided it was still too early to call it a night.

We moved on to a bar nearby, where a couple of us did a round of shots, followed by several cocktails. One of my friends started acting really drunk. She was clearly in no condition to drive, so I decided that I would take her home. As I was pulling out of the parking lot, I noticed that I was definitely not as sharp as I should be. I remember promising that if we got home safely I would never drive like this again. Unfortunately, that didnt happen. I dont remember everything that happened leading up to the accident. I just remember there being a tree in front of the car suddenly, and the impact of hitting it. The next thing I remember, there were paramedics helping us out of the car and the police were there taking our stories. Luckily, we were both wearing our seatbelts, so neither of us was badly injured. My friend cut her head on the windshield, and to this day, has a small scar. Its a constant reminder of the danger I put us both in by driving drunk. I was arrested for DUI (driving under the influence). The process of going to court was difficult. I lost my license for three years and spent several days in jail. My husband now drops me off and picks me up from work. I never realized how difficult it is to get around when you dont have a license and understand now what a privilege driving is. While my DUI was a horrible mistake, its been a blessing in that I realize how even the smallest amount of alcohol is too much when getting behind the wheel. I now educate all of my friends and family so I can spare them the trauma and sadness Ive gone through not only emotionally, but financially too. To think a $60 cab ride home could have avoided this entire mess! (Kaitlins Story; OneDUI.com)

Luckily, no one was seriously hurt or killed in this true story, but this is not the case for thousands of others each year. Just type in drunk driving stories, on the search engine of YouTube, and you will find 97,900 video options. Most of these videos will leave you with a tear in your eye and leave you wondering why does this have to happen?! Most of us dont think of ourselves as someone who would drive drunk and get a DWI, but could it happen to you? Do you know how many drinks it takes before you are under the influence? Do you know how

your weight and gender affects your blood alcohol concentration? Or how many hours you've been drinking?

Whats Your DUI.Q?

Find out what your DUI.Q. is by logging onto www.your-duiq.com and learn what your blood alcohol concentration could be when you consume alcohol. The amount of alcohol in a persons body is measured by the weight of the alcohol in a certain volume of blood. This is called blood alcohol concentration or BAC. Alcohol is absorbed directly through the walls of the stomach and the small intestine, moves into the bloodstream, and throughout the body and brain. The following chart from Safe Communities (www.safecomm.org) shows the effects as your BAC rises.

B.A.C. .02% .05%

Typical Effects
Some loss of Judgment Relaxation Body warmth Altered mood Exaggerated behavior May have loss of smallmuscle control (e.g., focusing your eyes) Impaired judgment Usually good feeling Lowered alertness Release of inhibition Muscle coordination becomes poor (e.g., balance, speech, vision, reaction time, and hearing) Harder to detect danger Judgment, self-control, reasoning, and memory are impaired Clear deterioration of reaction time and control Slurred speech, poor coordination, and slowed thinking Far less muscle control than normal Vomiting may occur (unless this level is reached slowly or a person has developed a

Predictable effects on driving

Decline in visual functions (rapid tracking of a moving target) Decline in ability to perform two tasks at the same time (divided attention)

Reduced coordination Reduced ability to track moving objects Difficulty steering Reduced response to emergency driving situations

.08% .10% .15%

Concentration Short-term memory loss Speed control Reduced information processing capability (e.g., signal detection, visual search) Impaired perception

Reduced ability to maintain lane position and brake appropriately

Substantial impairment in vehicle control, attention to driving task, and in necessary visual and auditory information processing

tolerance for alcohol) Major loss of balance

1

Information in this table shows the BAC level at which the effect usually is first observed, and has been gathered from a variety of sources including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the American Medical Association, the National Commission Against Drunk Driving, and www.webMD.com.

How much does a DWI cost?

Lets take a look at the cost of getting a DWI in Minnesota according to OneDUI.com Total Cost of a first time DUI: $9,069-$11,469 Minimum fine: $1000 Auto Insurance Increase: $3,600-$6,000 Penalty Assessment: $600 State Restitution Fund: $100 Alcohol-Abuse Education Fund: $50 Blood/Breath Testing Fee: $130 Jail-Cite-and-Release Fee: $10 Driving/Alcohol-Awareness School: $375 License Re-issue Fee: $704 Attorney Fees (average): $2,500. And this can be just a drop in the bucket. The total cost goes up rapidly if you cause property damage, need vehicle repair or replacement, do jail time and cant work, or lawsuits due to injuring or killing someone. And no amount of money can be put on the emotional toll this will take on your life, especially if you hurt someone.

A couple cups of coffee and I will be fine to drive.

Coffee, cold showers and soft drinks may give you the impression you are sober, but they have no effect on reducing your BAC. These measures will also not improve your ability to drive. The body breaks down alcohol very slowly. A healthy person will take about one hour to get rid of the alcohol from slightly less than one standard drink. On average the body metabolizes 6-8 grams of alcohol every hour. So, if you have four standard drinks in one hour, it will take more than four hours to get it all out of your system.

If you want to drink, dont drive.

To avoid driving, you need to plan ahead. Your options include: arranging a lift with a friend who will not be drinking arranging to stay overnight after a party if you are going out with a group, hire a mini-bus arranging for someone to come and pick you up taking a taxi, bus or train (public transport)

Plan Ahead
Ride options in Wright County
Dont wait until you have had a few too many and your judgment is impaired to decide how you are going to get home. Program Sober Cab numbers into your phone today. Call Sober Cab at 763-295-8011 or 763-295-8294 the next time you go out with friends. Serving Wright County, Sober Cab can give you a ride home if you've had too much to drink or you can schedule a round trip and leave your car at home for the night. Go to http://www.safecomm.org/sobercab and find a list of socially responsible bars and restaurants in Wright County that are providing discounted cab rides home in case you overindulge. Just ask the bartender and get a voucher for up to $15 toward a cab ride home.

Theres an App for that.

Smart phones offer a variety of free Taxi Apps. These Apps can estimate the cost of your trip, compare companies and give you contact information for local taxis anywhere in the United States.

The Good News

Even though these numbers are still too high, we are making progress. DUIs in Wright County have dropped from 691 in 2007 to 493 arrests in 2011. Visit www.safecomm.org to find out more about how we are working to make Wright County a safer place for all of us. Next time you are out and plan on drinking, plan ahead on how you are going to get home safely. The cost of a taxi cab is cheap compared to a DWI.

Please check out our website at www.co.wright.mn.us for a schedule of our WOW Van locations and hours

Or call us at 763-682-7717 or 1-800-362-3667

Jane Kvalheim BSN,RN,PHN