How alcohol affects driving — Minnesota Permit Test

The amount of alcohol in the blood is called the alcohol concentration, and a higher concentration means greater impairment.

It is a measurement rather than a feeling, which is why a driver cannot judge their own.

The amount of alcohol in the blood is called the “alcohol concentration.” Higher alcohol concentration means a greater degree of impairment.

Alcohol is a depressant that slows body functions and impairs motor skills.

Everything the driver does gets slower, including the part that decides to brake.

Alcohol is a depressant that slows body functions and impairs motor skills.

Alcohol makes you misjudge your own impairment, so you may drive too fast, misjudge stopping distances or forget the seat belt.

The first thing to go is the judgment you would use to decide not to drive.

When you consume alcohol, you misjudge your degree of impairment. You may drive too fast, misjudge stopping distances, fail to wear a seat belt and forget to drive defensively.

Alcohol reduces the range of eye movement, which narrows peripheral vision, and can blur vision at higher concentrations.

Side vision is what catches the car you are not looking at, and it goes first.

Alcohol reduces the range of eye movement, decreasing peripheral vision.

Alcohol slows reaction time, so an impaired driver cannot respond quickly to signals, other drivers or pedestrians.

Everything on the road happens at the same speed as before, and the driver arrives late to all of it.

Alcohol slows reaction time. When you are impaired, you cannot respond quickly to traffic signals, actions of other drivers and pedestrians, and events that take place on the road around you.

Impaired drivers tend to over-steer, which leads to weaving and running off the road.

Every correction is bigger than it needed to be, so the car wanders between the lines.

Impaired drivers tend to over-steer, which can result in weaving and running off the road.

Alcohol impairs coordination and balance, and makes it hard to focus on the many tasks driving takes.

Driving is several jobs at once, and alcohol takes away the ability to hold them together.

Attention Alcohol makes it difficult for drivers to focus on the many tasks required to operate a motor vehicle.

What is the amount of alcohol in the blood called?

The alcohol concentration. It is a measurement rather than a feeling, which is why a driver cannot judge their own. Minnesota Driver’s Manual, p.89: “The amount of alcohol in the blood is called the “alcohol concentration.” Higher alcohol concentration means a greater degree of impairment.”