Alcohol and Drug Impairment Laws Flashcards

Approximately how fast does a healthy body eliminate alcohol?

Answer: About one standard drink per hour

The liver metabolizes roughly one standard drink per hour, and nothing can significantly speed this process.

Which of the following will actually sober up an intoxicated person?

Answer: Time

Coffee, showers, and exercise may make a person feel more alert, but only time allows the body to eliminate alcohol.

Which contains roughly the same amount of alcohol: a 12-oz beer, a 5-oz glass of wine, or a 1.5-oz shot of 80-proof liquor?

Answer: They all contain about the same amount of alcohol

A standard beer, glass of wine, and shot of liquor each contain approximately the same amount of pure alcohol.

The first ability alcohol affects in a driver is typically:

Answer: Judgment and self-control

Alcohol impairs judgment and self-control before it visibly affects coordination or vision, making drivers overconfident.

A driver takes a prescribed medication with a warning label about drowsiness and then drives erratically. In Alaska, this driver:

Answer: Can be charged with DUI even though the drug was legally prescribed

Having a valid prescription is not a defense to DUI in Alaska if the medication impairs your driving.

Which factor does NOT reliably affect a person's blood alcohol concentration?

Answer: Their tolerance to feeling drunk

Tolerance changes how impaired a person feels but does not lower the actual alcohol concentration in their blood.

Mixing alcohol with other drugs, such as antihistamines or marijuana, generally:

Answer: Multiplies the impairing effects of both substances

Combining alcohol with other drugs can multiply impairment, making driving far more dangerous than either substance alone.