A discussion of Ohio’s DUI plates is replete with myths. Let’s clarify.
“I don’t believe that alcohol makes you dangerous unless you are [at] the point [where] you are seeing double, or passed out.” “Have two beers and [you are] considered intoxicated.” “5-6 drinks doesn’t make you a danger.”
So said various comments responding to a Beacon Journal column on the statistical failure of DUI plates (affectionately known as “party plates”) in Ohio, which are special license plates intended to notify other drivers and authorities that the car being driven was involved in an arrest for DUI. I wouldn’t bother addressing these myths of alcoholism, since I’ve covered them in one form or another elsewhere in my books (especially in Alcoholism Myths and Realities and Get Out of the Way! How to Identify and Avoid a Driver Under the Influence), but because they are so typical of those perpetrated throughout the Internet we hardly risk overdoing it.
While a few of those commenting on the article attempted to correct the errors, their responses were incomplete and not all of the myths were addressed. The first myth is a classic, which shows the responder knows nothing about alcoholic egomania and addiction-driven reckless misbehaviors, which can be found in alcoholics at relatively moderate blood alcohol levels. The point of seeing double or passing out is usually well-past .24 percent (three times the legal limit for driving), while reckless misbehaviors are common in those alcoholics with a blood alcohol level (BAL) of .12 to .18 percent. The second is the sort of myth that gives DUI laws a bad rap. Two beers result in a BAL of no more than .04 percent for a 200-pound person, which after an hour drops to .025 percent. No other responders debunked either of these myths. I see them too often and am too busy writing these Reports to make commenting time-effective, but would love to see other addictionologists get involved and correct such nonsense.
The third myth, the idea that five or six drinks doesn’t make one a danger on the road, was addressed by someone who responded, “You gotta be joking….Let me know when you’re drinking and driving. I will stay the hell outta your way.” While probably a correct response (i.e., the original writer is likely an alcoholic), it’s technically flawed in that we need to know the drinker’s weight and period of time over which the alcohol was consumed to determine the BAL. A six-pack drunk by a 200-pound person over a six-hour period results in a .03 percent BAL, while six drinks in one hour will bring the BAL in a 120-pounder to .165 percent. The first is not alcoholic drinking and poses little danger to others, while the other is clear alcoholism in action and potentially lethal to others. If we are to educate, we need to be thorough and accurate. Similarly, another comment was, “If you think having 5-6 drinks doesn’t classify you as drunk, you must certainly be an alcoholic.” Again, we need to know the weight of the drinker and the time period over which it was drunk to determine this.
By the way, some of the comments on the plate program, for which results are mixed (the overall crash rate has dropped 16% while the number of alcohol-related fatalities per 1,000 crashes has rocketed up 21%), were interesting. Several figured that the “Scarlet Letter” at least alerts others, as well as authorities, that the driver may be dangerous. Others, however, suggested the money would be put to better use in prevention programs and ignition interlock devices. I still prefer ankle bracelets, since alcoholics, once the BAL is high enough, think they’re invincible and can safely drive. Therefore, we really don’t want them drinking at all—and society, I believe, would be far better off if it were to proscribe drug use (including the drug alcohol) in those who have proven they can’t safely use (which a DUI generally proves) than in a war against drugs that can’t possibly be won.
Some of the other comments (but only about one in ten overall, if that) were fairly astute. They included: “I’d love to hear the story behind the car with ‘party plates’ I spotted last summer parked in the keyed-entry doctors-only parking lot a City Hospital;” “Drinking seems to grow balls on the offenders and I think it becomes their challenge;” and “[Yeah,] like drunks really care about humiliation.” The doctor with the plates is almost assuredly an addict (as are roughly 20% of all MDs). Drinking does indeed make the addict feel like he’s invincible and have a need to show off. Drunks care only about feeding their egos, which as several comments suggested they do by turning the “party plates” into badges of honor. The problem with comments is it takes a lot of reading to separate the wheat from the chaff.
For dozens of clues in other drivers’ behaviors on spotting the DUIs among them before they become tragically obvious (and lacking Ohio’s “party plates”), be sure to pick up a copy of Get Out of the Way! How to Identify and Avoid a Driver Under the Influence.