Holiday Driving Safety Quiz
We don't need to remind you that this weekend will be a heavy drinking one — if not for you, at least for many drivers on the road. But we would like to take this time to remind you — or perhaps even teach you — of some startling facts about drinking and driving. Did you know, for instance, that alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes injure someone every two minutes? Or that three of every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives?
Here's a quiz to test your knowledge about other drinking-and-driving facts. You'll find the correct answers below this post (no peeking!).
1. True or False: To legally operate a motor vehicle in the United States, your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) must be lower than .08 percent.
2. On average, a driver makes over how many decisions per mile?
A. 50
B. 75
C. 150
D. 200
3. Nearly how many people are arrested each year in the U.S. for driving while intoxicated (DWI)?
A. 500,000
B. 750,000
C. 1,000,000
D. 1,500,000
4. An average 170-pound man typically must have more than how many drinks in one hour on an empty stomach to reach a .08 percent BAC level?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4
5. An average 137-pound woman reaches .08 percent BAC after about how many drinks in an hour on an empty stomach?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4
6. Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every ____ minutes.
A. 9
B. 21
C. 31
D. 45
7. Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes injure someone every ____ minutes.
A. 2
B. 9
C. 18
D. 27
8. How many out of every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4
9. What percent of fatal crashes involved alcohol in 2005?
A. 15
B. 22
C. 39
D. 79
10. What percent of persons killed or injured in crashes from midnight to 3 a.m. were alcohol-related in 2005?
A. 46
B. 55
C. 68
D. 75
11. True of False: January and December were the months with the highest crash rates in 2005.
12. True or False: Christmas and New Year’s Day were the holiday periods with the highest numbers of persons killed in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes in 2005.
13. True or False: Wearing your seatbelt can reduce your risk of dying in a traffic crash by about 50 percent.
1. True: Operating a motor vehicle at or above a BAC of .08 percent is a criminal offense in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. .08 percent is the level at which the fatal crash risk significantly increases and the majority of drivers, even experienced drinkers, are seriously impaired with regard to critical driving tasks including: braking, steering, lane changing, judgment, and response time.
2. Answer:
D
3. Answer: D
4. Answer: D
5. Answer: C
6. Answer: C
7. Answer: A
8. Answer: C
9. Answer: C
10. Answer:
D
11. True: In
2005, December was the month with the highest crash rate (247), followed by
January (238), November (228), February (222), and October (212)
12. False: In 2005, more people were killed in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes during the Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving holiday periods than both the Christmas and New Year’s Day holiday periods.
13. True: Wearing your seatbelt can reduce your risk of dying in a traffic crash by 45 percent in a car and as much as 60 percent in a truck or SUV.
