40 Percent of Designated Drivers Drink and Drive

Most of us feel at ease when getting in the car with a designated driver, and whether it be after a party or a family gathering where a drink or two was consumed, rest assured, the DD was not partaking in any of the alcoholic fun. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. 

A new study conducted in a college town in Florida shows that as many as two out of five designated drivers drink alcohol before getting behind the wheel, according to Medical Daily. And worse still, of half that had consumed alcohol, they had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05, which is enough to affect their driving capabilities while still being under the legal limit.

Researchers from the University of Florida looked at 1,000 bar patrons over a three-month period to establish the drinking habits in Gainseville, Fla. Participants were asked if they had been a designated driver and whether they would volunteer to take a breathalyzer test before leaving.

One hundred and sixty-five of the individuals identified themselves as designated drives, and 35 percent said they had at least one drink before leaving the bar. The study also showed that approximately half of the drinkers had a BAC between .02 and .05 percent.  

The researchers concluded that social pressure can often influence the DD's decision to have a drink or two before driving others.

 "Considering the low BAC levels at which driving-related abilities are negatively affected, these findings identify the need for consensus across researcher, layperson, and communication campaigns that a (designated driver) must be someone who abstains from drinking entirely," the researchers wrote, according to Fox News.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly one-third of all traffic-related deaths in the United Sates involve alcohol-impaired drivers, resulting in nearly 11,000 deaths each year. The National Highway Transportation Safety Board also recommends that the legal BAC limit for driving be reduced from .08 to .05 percent.

The University of Florida study will be published in July in the July issue of The Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.