A new study has found that one in ten binge drinkers got behind the wheel the last time they drank heavily. Half of those drivers left from a bar, restaurant, or nightclub after having five or more drinks.
The study is being called the first to try to measure the likelihood someone will drive after binge drinking. It suggests a need for stepped-up efforts to prevent bars and restaurants from serving people after they’re intoxicated, according to its authors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The researchers focused on 14,000 binge drinkers—people who said that at least once a month they had five or more drinks on a single occasion. About 12 percent said they had gone driving within two hours of their last bout of heavy drinking.
Of those drivers, more than half got behind the wheel after drinking in a bar, restaurant, or other licensed establishment. And half of the drivers who left an establishment said they had seven or more drinks; a quarter said they’d had at least 10.
Some people can handle alcohol better than others, and eating food or drinking over several hours can soften alcohol’s impact. But 10 drinks is a lot, said James Fell of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, a national research organization focused on alcohol policy. "Almost everybody’s going to be intoxicated after 10 drinks," said Fell, who was not involved in the study.
Nearly every state has a law that in theory prohibits licensed establishments from selling alcohol to drunk patrons. But most states don’t have enough enforcement personnel to stop in on bars and watch for over-serving of customers. "These are among the most disregarded laws in the country," said study leader Dr. Timothy Naimi, an epidemiologist with the CDC’s alcohol program.
"The drinking location is really important," said Naimi. "We’re trusting these licensed establishments to serve responsibly, and more than half of the intoxicated people who drive have been drinking in these places."
