Section 6 of Driver's Manual - Dangerous Driving Behaviors

Blood alcohol concentration (BAC)

a measurement of the amount of alcohol in your blood. Maryland considers drivers to be driving under the influence of alcohol when their BAC is 0.08 or higher

• Note: any amount of alcohol can affect your ability to safely drive a vehicle. Your judgment and physical coordination, your vision, ability to perform simple movements, and reaction time, can be affected by even a small amount of BAC

  • How tired you are, your mood, and medications can make a difference in how alcohol affects your ability to drive

• Note: “Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) refers to the percent of alcohol (ethyl alcohol or ethanol) in a person's blood stream. A BAC of .10% means that an individual's blood supply contains one part alcohol for every 1000 parts blood.” (https://vaden.stanford.edu/super/alcohol-drug-info/reduce-your-risk/what-blood-alcohol-concentration-bac#:~:text=Blood%20Alcohol%20Concentration%20(BAC)%20refers,for%20every%201000%20parts%20blood.)

• You cannot simply tell what your BAC is by the number of drinks yu have had because many things - your weight, body fat, how long ago you ate, and how much you ate - can affect how your body digests alcohol

Laws regarding alcohol and driving

• If you are not yet 21 years old, it is against the law for you to drink any alcohol

  • if law enforcement stops you and you have been drinking, your license will be suspended or revoked

• It is against the law for drive with an open container (any open can, bottle, other type of container, package, six-pack of alcohol with open/empty/missing cans) of alcohol in the passenger area of the vehicle (the driver and passenger seats, or any place that the driver or passengers can easily reach from where they are sitting)

• If you are convicted of a drunk or drugged driving offense with a child in your vehicle, the judge can double your fine and jail time. 

Things to keep in mind when it comes to Controlled Dangerous Substances (CDS) – Illegal and Prescription Drugs 

• Illegal drugs, some prescription medications, and chemical inhalants can affect your alertness, concentration, coordination, and reaction time.

• All drugs can make it hard to judge distances and react to signals and sounds on the road

• NOTE: “Many of the narcotics, synthetic steroids, depressants, and stimulants manufactured for legitimate medical use are subject to abuse and have, therefore, been brought under legal control [my emphasis].” - maybe this is why they’re called “Controlled [my emphasis] Dangerous Substances”

• pay close attention to prescription and over-the-counter drug label warnings. Look for warnings that tell you not to drive or use heavy machinery when taking the medication. If you drive after taking a medication that tells you not to and it impairs your ability to drive safely, you could be charged with a criminal offense 

Examples of aggressive driving:

speeding, tailgating, ignoring traffic signals and devices, making unsafe lane changes, not yielding the right-of-way, and unsafe or illegal passing 

Causes of aggressive driving

Crowded roads, unexpected delays, rushing, road construction, and stress can cause people to drive aggressively. 

Tips to reduce the possibility of becoming involved in an aggressive driving incident:

Allow extra time to travel. 

Focus on your driving behavior. 

Always signal your intentions. (Let other drivers know what you plan to do by using turn signals, etc.) 

Obey all traffic laws, signs, signals, and pavement markings. 

Yield the right-of-way. 

Be patient, Be courteous, and avoid competing with other drivers. 

• Politeness is about showing respect and consideration for others through social etiquette and behavior, while patience is the capacity to accept delays, problems, or suffering without getting annoyed or anxious

Distracted driving

when you take your eyes, hands or especially your mind, away from driving 

causes more crashes that are reported to the police than anything else. 

One-third of fatal crashes are caused by distracted driving.

Cell phone use is one of the leading causes of distracted driving 

Some examples of activies that contribute to distracted driving:

• Eating and drinking. 

• Adjusting the radio or other source of music. 

• Adjusting or programming a GPS. 

• Dealing with children and pets. 

• Loose objects moving in the vehicle. 

• Talking and texting on a cell phone. 

• Smoking. 

• Putting on makeup. 

• Shaving. 

• Reading. 

• Interacting with others in the vehicle. 

Cell Phone Use While Driving

• you cannot use your phone while holding it; you can use your phone for calls while driving if you are not holding it (hands-free). If you do this, you should use it as little as possible and do the following to stay safe:

  • Use your cell phone only in emergencies; if possible, have a passenger make the call

  • If you must make a call, pull safely off the road, and stop before making the call

  • let your voicemail answer incoming calls

  • keep your telephone conversations short

• If you are under 18 years old, you may not use a cell phone while driving, even hands-free. The only exception is that you may use it to make a 911 emergency call

Danger signs of drowsy driving:

• Some drivers have a higher risk of feeling sleepy (drowsy). Examples include people who drive many miles each day, people with sleep disorders, and people taking certain medications. Not getting enough sleep can also cause unsafe driving 

• The following may mean you are drowsy and should take action to stay safe: 

  • Your eyes close or go out of focus. 

  • You have trouble keeping your head up. 

  • You can’t stop yawning. 

  • You have wandering, disconnected thoughts. 

  • You don’t remember driving the last few miles. 

  • You missed your exit. 

  • You keep driving out of your lane. 

  • You keep changing your speed. 

Danger of drowsy driving (and a suggestion to mitigate the danger)

Sleepiness slows reaction time, decreases awareness, and impairs judgment, just like drugs or alcohol. This can significantly increase your chances of being involved in a crash. 

If you become tired or sleepy while driving, it is best to rest or change drivers.