Drive Sober - Arrive Alive DE
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Impaired drivers put everyone at risk.

Make the smart choice and plan for a sober ride home – before the party begins.

Drive Sober

Can you make it safely to the end of the course?
Try it “sober” first and then “impaired” to see how alcohol can impact your driving.

Keep your vehicle on course! Move left and right to avoid all obstacles and arrive alive!

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HOW TO PLAN A SOBER RIDE HOME

Drivers can’t accurately assess their own impairment. If you plan to drink, make sure you have a safe way home. Here are some options to keep you — and everyone else — safer on Delaware’s roadways.

  • USE A RIDESHARE SERVICE

  • LINE UP A DESIGNATED DRIVER

    Family

    Moms, Dads and other family members are always a great choice because no one is more committed to keeping you safe.

    Friends

    Friends can be excellent designated drivers, too, especially if you’re going to the same party. Take turns being the DD and everyone wins.

  • CALL A CAB

    New Castle County

    Delaware Concierge Taxi, LLC

    302-602-2222

    Castle Ride

    302-256-4602

    Champion Transportation Services

    302-383-4706

    Checker Cab

    302-883-9330

    Victory Taxi Delaware

    302-383-8826

    Kent County

    Captain Taxi

    302-384-3400

    Ketch A Ride, LLC

    302-399-1876

    Happy Family Transportation

    302-480-2568

    City Cab of Delaware

    302-734-8294

    Complete Privacy Taxi & Chauffeur

    302-463-5794

    Sussex County

    Beach Ride Taxi

    302-645-6800

    Small Wonder Bus - Rehoboth/Dewey Beaches

    302-249-5086

    Atlantic Transportation Services (Reservation)

    302-644-6999

WHEN YOU DRIVE DRUNK, YOU’RE NOT ALL THERE

Click the image to see the impact of alcohol on your driving skills.

These are just some of the effects experienced by impaired drivers. See our BAC Gauge for a more comprehensive list.

Impairment Begins: .02% BAC
Alcohol starts affecting the body within minutes, and your judgment is the first to suffer. Decisions like “The light is yellow. Should I slow down?” become difficult and potentially deadly.

Impairment Begins: .05% BAC
Complex motor skills, such as hand/eye/foot coordination, become more difficult for even relatively “simple” maneuvers like making a turn.

Impairment Begins: .08% BAC
Drunk drivers often lack speed control – whether driving too fast or too slowly. Either can be dangerous on Delaware highways.

Young man seated holding a steering wheel while dressed to go out Right foot Eyes and ears Left arm Right arm Right leg Head

Impairment Begins: .02% BAC
Very quickly, your senses begin to decline, including the essential skill of rapidly tracking a moving target.

Impairment Begins: .05% BAC
At .05% blood alcohol level, an impaired person may have difficulty steering and keeping their vehicle from weaving in and out of lanes.

Impairment Begins: .05% BAC
Alcohol slows your brain’s ability to process dangerous situations and may slow your reaction times by 15 to 25 percent.

Gauging the Effects of Alcohol

Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) refers to the percent of alcohol in a person’s bloodstream. In Delaware, a person is legally intoxicated if they have a BAC of .08% or higher. BAC is affected by many things, including the amount of alcohol consumed, the period of time in which it was consumed, gender, body weight and body fat percentage. Only the passage of time will lower a BAC.

Learn more here.

Select a BAC level to see the typical effects of alcohol on you and your driving.

BAC

Blood Alcohol Concentration

.02% .05% .08% .10% .15%

Effects on You

  • Some loss of judgment
  • Relaxation
  • Slight body warmth
  • Altered mood
  • Exaggerated behavior
  • May have loss of small muscle control (e.g., focusing your eyes)
  • Impaired judgment
  • Lowered alertness
  • Release of inhibition
  • Muscle coordination becomes poor (e.g., balance, speech, vision, reaction time and hearing)
  • Harder to detect danger
  • Judgment, self-control, reasoning and memory are impaired
  • Clear deterioration of reaction time and control
  • Slurred speech, poor coordination and slowed thinking
  • Far less muscle control than normal
  • Vomiting may occur (unless this level is reached slowly, or if a person has developed a tolerance for alcohol)
  • Major loss of balance

Effects on Your Driving

  • Decline in visual functions (rapid tracking of a moving target)
  • Decline in the ability to perform two tasks at the same time (divided attention)
  • Reduced coordination
  • Reduced ability to track moving objects
  • Difficulty steering
  • Reduced response to emergency driving situations
  • Concentration
  • Short-term memory loss
  • Speed control
  • Reduced information processing capability (e.g., signal detection, visual search)
  • Impaired perception
  • Reduced ability to maintain lane position and brake appropriately
  • Substantial impairment in vehicle control, attention to driving task, and in necessary visual and auditory information processing

Impaired Driving Simulator

Delaware Edition

See the potential effects of impairment while driving different Delaware roads. Select your Road Choice, then slide the Impairment Indicator to see how your view may change.

Warning: Some flashing lights sequences or patterns may affect photosensitive viewers.

Driving is complicated even when you’re sober. Impaired drivers aren’t up to the task.

Disclaimer: The tool has been developed to simulate the effects of alcohol impairment on driving. The driver in the video did not film while operating the vehicle and is not under the influence of alcohol or drugs. All impaired effects are computer-generated.

Come happy hour, she's all business. And all about a safe ride home. BE LIKE HER. BE DRIVEN NOT TO DRIVE.

NASCAR Driver Ross Chastain Encourages Delawareans to Drive Sober

 

What's Your DUIQ?

How well do you know the facts about alcohol and its effects on your driving? Take our quiz to find out!

1 of 10

What's Your DUIQ?
When is the risk for motor vehicle crashes highest? When driving after using:

Resources

  1. https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/teen_drivers/teendrivers_factsheet.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fmotorvehiclesafety%2Fteen_drivers%2Fteendrivers_
How many drinks can you have and still be a safe designated driver?

Resources

  1. https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
In Delaware, what percent of all fatal traffic crashes involves alcohol?

Resources

  1. https://dsp.delaware.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/118/2021/04/2020-Annual-Traffic-Report. pdf, page 60
Which of these can help you sober up more quickly?

Resources

  1. https://uhs.umich.edu/time-to-sober-up
  2. https://www.addictiongroup.org/blog/sober-up
  3. https://www.insider.com/things-that-will-not-sober-you-up-2019-7
Which of the following is the most intoxicating?

Resources

  1. https://www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/how-much-is-too-much/what-counts-as-a- drink/whats-a-standard-drink.aspx
  2. https://nclnet.org/alcohol_how_it_all_adds_up/
What are the chances you’ll be involved in a drunk driving crash?

Resources

  1. https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/Publication/809323
  2. https://pip.missouri.edu/DrinkingDriving/#:~:text=About%20three%20in%20every%20ten,drunk%20driving%20is%20completely%20preventable
In the United States, what age group has the most impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes?

Resources

  1. NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts, Alcohol-Impaired Driving, 2019 Facts
What is the average cost of a first DUI conviction?

Resources

  1. https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
How much more likely are men to drive drunk than women?

Resources

  1. NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts, Alcohol-Impaired Driving, 2019 Facts
Is it true you can get a DUI even if your blood alcohol concentration is below the legal limit (0.08%)?

Resources

  1. https://www.idrivesafely.com/dmv/delaware/laws/dui-and-dwi-laws/
What's Your DUIQ?

You got 0 out of 10 correct!

You Can't Drive Safely If You're Impaired

That’s why it’s illegal everywhere in the United States to drive while under the influence of alcohol, illicit drugs or even drugs prescribed by your doctor if misused. While they all carry the same severe penalties, different substances can affect you in different ways.

 

Alcohol, marijuana and other drugs:
Decrease coordination, judgment and reaction times

Cocaine and methamphetamine:
Can make you more aggressive and reckless

Two or more drugs combined (including alcohol):
Can amplify the impairing effects of each drug

Some prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs:
Can cause extreme drowsiness, dizziness and other side effects

DO YOU NEED HELP WITH AN ADDICTION?

Delaware offers personalized substance abuse care through START (Substance Use Treatment and Recovery Transformation), a program that makes it easier to get the help you need, from start to finish. Services include:

  • Gateway and peer support
  • Substance use screening and assessment
  • Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
  • Short- and long-term residential treatment
  • Hospitalization
  • Outpatient program
  • Social services
  • Goal setting
  • Housing & transportation
  • Behavioral health counseling
  • Case management
  • Community-based services