I should add that before random breath testing was brought in and the associated education campaign began I, and most of my friends, routinely drove around drunk. On any given weekend there would be carloads of us at the pub getting drunk to then drive to a party to drink more before driving home. I think we all just thought that we drove more carefully when drunk and it would all be OK. God knows how but no-one I knew ever died while DUI.
Well it varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, in some places a single drink will put you over the limit. But I suppose to clarify, would you have a drink if you had driven to the place you were having the drink and intended leaving that same evening.
No. I don’t think that my judgement is sound, even after one drink. And in Japan the legal limit is 0 anyway. This was not alway enforced, but you can be sure it would for a foreigner… And since there were some horrific accidents a few years ago, enforcement is now pretty much universal anyway. As it should be.
Are you sure about that? Last I heard from friends who live in Japan it was .03, mind you it also included charging people who traveled with the drunk driver, served alcohol to the drunk driver, loaned a vehicle to the drunk driver.
And how could you safely stay under .03?
I’ve done it in my life, but not many times, and not at all recently. I guess I’ll answer that I used to, even though that kind of makes it sound like it used to a regular thing…
I don’t know about Japan, but I know that here in WA they say (on signs and stuff) that it’s zero tolerance for people under 21, but really the limit is .02. I’ve heard that’s to make allowances for things like cold medicine that contains alcohol.
Yes, sorry. Legally in Japan it’s 0.03, but in reality it’s nothing. The number is to allow for medications and other things that might affect blood alcohol levels.
Socially, it’s 0 if you are driving. My husband had to sign a contract with work that states he will never drink and drive. If he’s caught it’s an automatic firing offence - on or off work time.
Last night I had a pint of lager after a tennis match and then drove 5 mins home, which I do now and again. Never anything more than that though (under any circumstances).
If I’m driving with other people in the car, particularly under 18, then it’s a definite no alcohol at all rule (but mostly from a perception thing).
Statistically you are less likely to have a crash after one drink than after none. There are a few reasons for this: first is that stats can be tweaked to show almost anything (especially as more drivers drive with no alcohol).
Having said that… after one drink people can be more vigilant (“I’ve had a drink so I’ll watch my speed, don’t want to get busted”), plus alcohol is a depressant which in mild amounts can improve concentration by relaxing nerves. There’s a reason alcohol is banned for many sports, because in small doses it does have a positive effect on e.g. shooting or archery (where a steady hand is required).
No cite to hand, but I think I’ve referenced the study somewhere on SDMB so might see if I can dig it out. The obvious problem is that “one drink” means different things to different people,* which makes it hard to specify the “safe” limit.
*This is why in the UK pregnant women are advised to avoid all alcohol. The reality is that many midwives will recommend a glass of wine, but while my wife (for example) stuck to 100-125ml and no more, other people interpret a “glass” to mean a brimming 250-300ml measure (“but it’s still only one glass!”).
Yes, if the driving is undemanding I’d drink at most one glass of wine (but more usually one glass of Weinschorle i.e. wine/water 1:1 - a popular drink with dinner for moderate drinkers hereabouts.)
I voted for option 4, because it’s not clear whether you mean [drink beyond the legal (or accepted, reasonable, safe) level] or [drink at all], and drive.
I occasionally drink a small amount, well below that necessary to render me legally intoxicated, and drive.
I picked no, never, but given that I almost never touch alcohol, I’m not convinced that my answer speaks for the attitude of most people.
Other - I did once, over 35 years ago. I knew it was dumb then, but I had to get home.
Now I almost never drink, and if I do, it’s when I know I won’t be going anywhere.
I voted “I used to” because back when I was young and dumb and went out to bars and parties a lot, I most certainly did drive while drunk on many occasions. Much of that was before the laws got strict, and I was lucky enough to never get into any sort of accident.
Now, absolutely never, haven’t done so in…well, probably since some time in the late 1980s.
I’ve known several people who’ve gotten busted for drunk driving - it’s an absolutely unacceptable risk, IMO. Not to mention socially unacceptable.
Just out of interest (because this is pretty much my approach) do you have a specific definition of “small amount”?
I only ask as I put my own absolute max limit at a pint of 3-4% lager, but I know other people who reckon two pints is still under the limit.
Indeed. Helps that I’ve not owned a car in decades, but I’d never chance it now anyway. My usual bar back in Texas, I had the side streets leading to home memorized and used to sneak through those rather than chance the main roads. But one time when I was 17, I did get pulled over. I must have reeked of beer. They may not have had breathalyzers back then, but I must have seemed coherent enough, as they did not make me walk a straight line or anything. I told them I was heading straight home (which was true, so they just let me go and said to be careful. Imagine that happening anymore.
Why not? Having one drink during an evening is not enough to impair your ability to drive. Based upon this standard, I’m not sure what you are attempting to gather from this poll? What % of dopers that will not drive anywhere even with one drink in their body?
This really depends on the circumstances. If I have a beer at 7 pm and then drive home at 10 pm, obviously that’s no problem for me. If I have a beer at 7 pm and then try to drive home at 7:30, I’m going to be impaired. Maybe not everybody would, but I definitely would.
Lightweight! 
The way it’s written, it can be anything above zero if you are “impaired,” which means you are toast if you get into an accident.
Back in the 80s, when I was young and stupid, we would go to bars and drive home. On occasion, I would drive home drunk. Thank the gods that nothing happened and I didn’t cause an accident or hurt anyone.
But depending on your jurisdiction it might be enough to get you in trouble.