The first part of the article discussed the drinking and driving situation in the country and how the government should start looking into the issue. Drinking and driving cases are largely underreported. Drunk drivers are only caught when they violate a traffic regulation and without equipment to measure their drunkenness, most violators successfully contest the charges.

The Philippines is the only country in the Western Pacific region with no drunk driving law. This year, Bill 7083 or the Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Act was passed but it lacks teeth. There are no provisions for random sobriety tests, no mention of enforcement procedures and is largely just an update of the old provision on drunk driving contained in RA 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code. With no drunk driving laws in the country, Filipinos, especially the young, are left to do as they please.

Drinking and Machismo

In an informal survey at a night spot in Quezon City, 12 out of the 13 drinkers interviewed said they don’t limit their drinking. The one person who had limits was James, a government employee, who has already figured in eight accidents. It was only after his eighth accident that he started limiting his drinks. Who wouldn’t, when he almost killed a man and is now in debt because of it?

Thirty-year-old Joseph supports this saying that counting bottles is considered tacky and ‘killjoy” (local term for a party pooper). “It’s all about being a man, machismo. You are not a man if you cannot hold your alcohol. So young men, especially those in college, strive to drink as much as they can to appear ‘cool.’ We know we can get into an accident but can and will are different.”

Two of his friends did get into accidents while driving drunk. One got a friend killed while test-driving a car in the province; the other miraculously escaped unscathed when his car overturned in South Luzon Expressway. But even then, can and did still don’t seem to connect. His friends still drink and drive.

No awareness of their limits

It also does not also help that young drivers in the country don’t seem to know what their limits are. When asked to estimate the number of bottles they drink before they decide not to drive, most gave numbers that put their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at dangerous levels. Some even had the temerity to say: “Until I pass out” or “Until I fall asleep.”

According to toxicologist Lynn Panganiban of the University of the Philippines Poison Center, this can be dangerous because a 300-ml bottle of beer at 0.36 BAC, is enough to impair the driving skills of a 154-pound man. Three times that number can lead to the deterioration in thinking, not to mention slowed reflexes. When talking to young people at bars, their lowest estimate of alcohol consumption was four 500-ml bottles of beer.

BAC refers to the amount of alcohol for every 100 ml of blood. Different types of alcohol yield different BAC levels because of their alcoholic content. A 300-ml of a local beer with 5% alcohol content will have the same 0.36 BAC levels as a 30-ml shot of hard liquor at 50% alcohol and a 120 ml glass of wine at 12% for a 154-pound man.

The men and women charts below, taken from the Drinking and Driving Manual of WHO, show the estimate number of bottles that you can consume with the corresponding BAC levels. The number of drinks in the table is based on either of the following: 1.25 oz. 80 proof liquor; a 12 oz. beer or a 5 oz. wine. Adjust the number of drinks depending on the kind of drinks you had. The more potent the drink is, the higher the BAC should be. Also, remember to subtract .01 for every 40 minutes of drinking that lapsed.

Are you already over the BAC limit?

In the United States, legal limits in most states are set at 0.08. In Asia, limits vary from 0.05 to 0.08. Japan enforces zero tolerance in drunk driving, with a limit of 0.00. This means that when you drink, you can’t drive. No excuses. Curiously, the Philippines settled for a 0.06 BAC limit, even when calls are being made for countries to change their BAC limits to the new WHO recommendation of 0.05. Studies have shown that 0.02 BAC level is already a risk. Dr. Panganiban, in fact, recommends following Japan’s zero BAC limit.

Not all drinkers are created equal

Of course, Dr. Panganiban qualifies that not all drinkers are the same. Some will get drunk faster than another. You see, a BAC level does not just depend on the number of bottles consumed. It also takes into account your weight, your built, your gender, the time you’ve been drinking, and even how much food you ate. In the chart below Dr. Panganiban explains each factor.

Estimating BAC levels may be complicated but it is the only thing standing between drinkers and certain death. Knowing how much alcohol you can take is crucial when you are going to be on the road and potentially endangering your life and other people’s. But without a law to set the tone and people to enforce it, young people will just continue drinking and driving… until death do they part.

Sources:

Youth and Road Safety, WHO

World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention, WHO, and WB

Global Status Report on Road Safety, WHO, and WB

Drinking and Driving: A Road Safety Manual for Decision-makers and Practitioners, World Health Organization, 2007

http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/basics/g/bac.htm

http://www.alcohol.vt.edu/Students/alcoholEffects
index.htm