Although driving whilst intoxicated significantly increases the chances of an accident (and the seriousness of an accident) researchers from the University of Toronto have found that having low levels of alcohol in your system can reduce the effects of a head injury (BBC News). If we use the same logic that makes seatbelts compulsory, therefore, it should be a legal requirement to drive under the influence of alcohol.
Perhaps a new road safety campaign: Belt up, Drink up
The logic doesn't work. Having alcohol may reduce the effects of a head injury, but clearly increases the risk of sustaining one in the first place - and so countering it's benefit. The logic of the seatbelt is the former without the latter (unless you claim that the restriction to movement impedes driving ability).
Posted by: tc | July 04, 2007 at 01:22 PM
I've mentioned this before (here and here; also see this pdf) - things that make people feel safer will make them drive more dangerously. In the same way that you'd drive more carefully when you're not wearing a seatbelt, you'd drive less carefully when you do. This seems intuitively obvious, and is supported by the evidence.
So I think the logic does work: seat belts increase the chance of you being in an accident, but if you are in an accident they reduce the chance of serious harm. According to the study cited above, the same is true for alcohol.
Posted by: aje | July 04, 2007 at 11:59 PM
I hadn't thought of it like that, but it seems to make sense. Very interesting.
Posted by: tc | July 05, 2007 at 01:32 PM
This is just crap information...maybe it just reeks of sarcasm instead of booze.
Posted by: Ajlouny | July 30, 2009 at 05:23 AM