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  • Only time sobers you up
  • Phone buzzing? It can wait
  • Yawning? Stop and rest
  • Car weaving ahead? Stay well back

Whatever slows your mind slows your stopping

Driving is a steady stream of small decisions. Alcohol, many drugs, lack of sleep and a phone in your hand all do the same harm: they stretch the time between seeing a problem and reacting to it, and they make you feel more able than you are. Each state sets its own legal limits and penalties, including what happens if you refuse a test, and your handbook gives them.

Five situations where judgment matters

In each drawing, teal marks you.

  1. You

    1 After a party

    You had a few drinks at a friend's house and you feel fine.

    What to do: Leave the car. Ride with a sober driver, call a ride, or stay the night.

    Why: Alcohol dulls judgment before you feel drunk, so feeling fine proves nothing. Only time clears it from the body: coffee, food or a cold shower do not.

  2. You

    2 A message while you drive

    Your phone buzzes with a message while you are driving through town.

    What to do: Let it wait. If it can't, pull into a safe parking spot and stop before you read or reply.

    Why: A glance at a screen takes your eyes off the road for seconds, long enough to cover a long stretch blind. Many states ban holding a phone while driving; your handbook gives the rule where you live.

  3. You

    3 Tired on a long drive

    Late at night on the highway you catch yourself yawning and drifting toward the edge line.

    What to do: Leave the road at the next safe place, such as a rest area, and rest or sleep before going on.

    Why: An open window or loud music helps only for a moment. Sleep is the only fix for being tired.

  4. You

    4 A driver weaving ahead

    The car ahead keeps drifting over the center line and back, and speeds up and slows down for no reason.

    What to do: Stay well back, don't try to pass, and report it once you are safely stopped or have a passenger call.

    Why: A driver who may be impaired can swerve at any moment. Distance is your protection.

  5. You

    5 Setting the map

    You need directions to a place you have never been.

    What to do: Enter the address and start the route before you pull out, then leave the phone in its mount.

    Why: Typing on the move is one of the most distracting things you can do with a phone. Set it all up while parked.

Answers that trip people up

  • "Coffee will sober me up."Only time does. Coffee just makes an awake impaired driver.
  • "Beer is weaker than liquor."A standard can of beer, glass of wine and shot of liquor carry about the same amount of alcohol.
  • "Hands-free means risk-free."A conversation still pulls your mind off the road. Keep calls short, or wait.
  • "A prescription drug is always safe to drive on."Read the label. Some legal medicines impair you as much as alcohol.

Check yourself

1. What is the only thing that lowers the alcohol in your blood?

2. You need to read an important message. When can you do it safely?

Practice the alcohol and safety rules for your state

Limits and penalties differ from state to state. Each state's practice here is built from its own handbook.