How many alcoholic drinks does it take to affect your driving ability?
- Three
- Two
- One ✓
Answer: C. One
Even one alcoholic drink can affect your driving ability.
Why this is the answer
The handbook ties reduced driving ability to the amount of alcohol you consume, not to the type of drink. It says these drinks contain about the same alcohol—1 1/2 ounces of liquor, 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, or 12 ounces of wine cooler—and for a 150-pound male each one raises BAC by about .02 percent. Because the manual connects alcohol intake that raises BAC with reduced driving ability, it does not set a two- or three-drink threshold before effects begin.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Three — Waiting for three drinks is wrong because the handbook does not describe a three-drink threshold; it links reduced driving ability to the alcohol consumed, and each drink raises BAC.
- B. Two — Two drinks is not a safe cutoff, since the manual says the amount of alcohol raises BAC and reduces driving ability without saying two drinks are needed.
Remember it
Don't count to three before you worry—the handbook ties reduced driving ability to the alcohol itself, not to a higher drink count.