Alcohol: BAC, effects and B.C. penalties
ICBC's driving guide: Personal strategies
Only time lowers your blood alcohol content. Not coffee, not food, not a cold shower — those are the three myths the manual names specifically. Nor does the type of drink matter: beer is not gentler on your driving than anything else.
Alcohol attacks all three stages of see-think-do:
- See — you tend to stare, your eyes take in information too slowly, glare blinds you more easily, you may see double, depth perception drops so you cannot judge distance and speed, and peripheral vision narrows so hazards from the side go unseen.
- Think — reasoning becomes unclear, concentration drops, emotions become unstable, and — the dangerous part — you think your mental ability is sharp while you cannot make sound driving decisions.
The rest of this card is in the learning area. Go to the learning area
Practice questions on this card
- Q-0423What blood alcohol content is permitted for a driver in the GLP?
- Q-0429A GLP driver violates the blood alcohol restriction. What may follow immediately?
- Q-0441What actually lowers your blood alcohol content?
- Q-0442Does beer affect driving less than other alcoholic drinks?
- Q-0443How does alcohol affect a driver's judgement of their own ability?
- Q-0444Which visual effect does alcohol produce?
- Q-0445How does alcohol change what a driver does, as opposed to what they see or think?
- Q-0446Must your BAC be over .08 before a police officer can prohibit you from driving?
- Q-0447What happens if you refuse to provide a breath sample?
- Q-0448Roughly what range of cost does the manual give for B.C.'s drinking and driving penalties, even on a first offence?
- Q-0449What can a Criminal Code conviction for impaired driving causing death lead to?
- Q-0450How many people does impaired driving kill in B.C. each year, according to the manual?
- Q-0451Besides fines and prohibitions, what other financial risk does the manual name?
- Q-0452A friend who has been drinking offers you a ride. What does the manual advise?
- Q-0453Which of these is a plan the manual suggests making before going out?
- Q-0462Alcohol makes a driver's emotional state unstable. Why does that matter behind the wheel?
- Q-0463Where does the manual say the fines and charges for impaired driving are described?
- Q-0464Someone at a party is about to drive after drinking. What does the manual ask of you?
- Q-0465Under how many bodies of law can impaired driving be penalised in B.C.?
- Q-0466How does alcohol affect a driver's response to glare?
- Q-0467Alcohol narrows peripheral vision. What is the practical consequence?
- Q-0468Why does the manual describe learning about the effects of alcohol and drugs as a strategy?
- Q-0469How do impaired driving penalties change for repeat offences?
- Q-0470What do alcohol, cannabis, prescription sedatives and an over-the-counter cold remedy have in common as driving risks?