"You Drink & Drive. You Lose."

Michigan conducts approximately two “You Drink & Drive. You Lose.” mobilizations each year.  With the help of federal grants for overtime patrols, Michigan’s state, county, and local police devote increased attention to drivers and traffic safety during these mobilizations.  Emphasis is focused on stopping drunk drivers. 

Michigan now has a .08 blood-alcohol content (BAC) drunk driving law, and a zero tolerance limit for minors.  A first-time offender convicted of drunk driving faces:

• Up to 93 days in jail
• Up to a $500 fine
• Up to 360 hours of community service
• Up to 6 points on a driver license
• Up to 180 days with a suspended license with a restricted possible after 30 days

Convicted drunk drivers are also subject to an additional $1,000 penalty that will be imposed for two consecutive years. 

In addition to the .08 BAC standard, the law also contains a zero tolerance for drivers with certain illegal drugs in their system.  These “schedule 1” drugs are those with no medicinal use, such as marijuana, GHB, cocaine and cocaine-derivative drugs.  Prosecutors do not have to prove the driver was impaired, just that they were driving with those drugs in their system.  The same penalties for drunk driving will apply to those convicted under the zero-tolerance drug provisions. 

It is also important to know that under implied consent, anyone that refuses a breath test the first time is given a one-year driver’s license suspension.

So, how many drinks is .08 BAC?
The old rules about X number of drinks per hour don’t work for everyone.  Factors to take into consideration are body weight, what and when you’ve last eaten, and what you are drinking and how fast you are drinking it.  So if you are going to drive, the best way to be safe is to avoid all alcohol.  If you do drink, call a cab or enlist a sober designated driver.

Don’t be a statistic.
In Michigan in 2005 there were 360 alcohol-related fatalities.  That’s almost one death for every day of the year.  The total number of person’s injured in alcohol-related crashes in Michigan in 2005 was 7,421.  

It’s a new year, don’t become another statistic.  Drive safe.  Drive sober.

Excerpts taken from Michigan State Police website www.michigan.gov/ohsp

Website last updated on November 14, 2007
Copyright © 2008 Michigan Resource Center for Health and Safety, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED