Control Of A Vehicle - GMC 1994 Yukon Owner's Manual

But it's very important to keep in mind that the ability to drive is affected
well below a BAC of 0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills of
many people are impaired at a BAC approaching 0.05 percent, and that the
effects are worse at night. All drivers are impaired at BAC levels above
0.05 percent. Statistics show that the chance of being in an accident
increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC of 0.05 percent or above. A
driver with a BAC level of 0.06 percent (three beers in one hour for a
180-pound or 82 kg person) has doubled his or her chance of having an
accident. At a BAC level of 0. I O percent, the chance of that driver having
an accident is six times greater; at a level of 0.15 percent, the chances are
twenty-five times greater! And, the body takes about an hour to rid itself of
the alcohol in one drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold showers
will speed that up.
"I'll be careful" isn't the right answer. What if there's an emergency, a need
to take sudden action, as when a child darts into the street? A person with a
higher BAC might not be able to react quickly enough to avoid the collision.
There's something else about drinking and driving that many people don't
know. Medical research shows that alcohol in a person's system can make
crash injuries worse. That's especially true for brain, spinal cord and heart
injuries. That means that if anyone who has been drinking
-
driver or
passenger
-
is in a crash, the chance of being killed or permanently
disabled is higher than if that person had not been drinking. And we've
already seen that the chance of a crash itself is higher for drinking drivers.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where you want it to go.
They are the brakes, the steering and the accelerator. All three systems have
to do their work at
the places where the tires meet the road.
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