Drinking alcohol and driving is:
- A minor traffic safety problem.
- A serious traffic safety problem. ✓
- Safe if you have only had a few drinks.
- Only dangerous to the driver who drinks.
Answer: B. A serious traffic safety problem.
Drinking alcohol and driving is a serious traffic safety problem.
Why this is the answer
The handbook describes drunk driving as a problem that affects all Texans, not just the person behind the wheel. It reports that 940 people were killed in crashes involving an alcohol-influenced driver, and that alcohol-related crashes made up 26% of all motor vehicle deaths. Texas also penalizes people who choose to drink and drive. Those facts point to drinking and driving being a serious traffic safety problem, not a small or personal issue.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. A minor traffic safety problem. — Calling it a minor traffic safety problem contradicts the handbook's death figures and its description of drunk driving as a problem affecting all Texans.
- C. Safe if you have only had a few drinks. — The handbook says only time removes alcohol and that someone who has not been drinking should drive, so a few drinks do not make driving safe.
- D. Only dangerous to the driver who drinks. — The handbook presents alcohol-related crashes as a problem affecting all Texans and reports many deaths, so the danger is not limited to the driver who drinks.
Remember it
If someone has been drinking, hand the keys to someone who has not.