Facts and Myths about Alcohol, Drugs, and Driving

Myth: Some people drive better when they have had a few drinks.
Fact: Alcohol alters perception and makes people feel competent, however it impairs peoples ability to perform tasks such as driving.

Myth: Coffee will sober a drunk person.
Fact: Coffee, exercise, a cold shower and breathing pure oxygen does not sober a person who is drunk. Only time will decrease intoxication.

Myth: A person who only drinks beer is okay to drive.
Fact: Beer may feel like it fills the stomach more than wine or hard liquor, however one 12 ounces of beer has the same alcohol content as 5 ounces of wine or 1 1/2 ounces of mixed drink.

Myth: A person who has only had a couple of drinks is fine to drive.
Fact: Alcohol, at any amount, affects the brain's functions, especially judgment, coordination, vision and reaction.

Allegany County Statistics and Solutions

13% of Allegany County total crashes involve drivers under the influence of alcohol. This number exceeds the statewide average by four percent. Impaired drivers are a danger to themselves and others. Some of the ways Prevention Services has been working to decrease impaired driving is by providing funding for overtime law enforcement during prime hours of DUI arrests, observing prevention of underage drinking, providing Preliminary Breath Testers for patrol officers and producing local displays for the public.

To receive information about Impaired Driving Prevention and/or Underage Drinking Prevenetion, please call us at (301) 759-5123

Other Allegany County Groups Against Impaired Driving

Western Maryland Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)

Frostburg State University SAFE Office,
Safe Communities Program

Allegany County Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force

MD Impaired Driving Coalition
of the Maryland Highway Safety Office

Checkpoint Strikeforce Form