Using an interactive computer program called Intoxiclock, Allison Nicolson debunked the notion that one alcoholic beverage to unwind at dinner can be on its way out of a person's system after an hour.
The graph just keeps climbing.
"A lot of people believe it's safe to drive an hour after one drink," Nicolson said, "but it's a half-hour or hour before it even hits its peak blood-alcohol content."
Nicolson is the Essentia Health injury prevention coordinator. She was part of a press event at the Minnesota State Patrol offices in Duluth on Monday to announce extra patrols for DWI enforcement through Labor Day.
DWI arrests peak in Minnesota during Labor Day weekend, when there are 4.6 arrests per hour, according to the state's Office of Traffic Safety. That's more than any other holiday. To combat it, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funds law enforcement overtime shifts, allowing agencies extra patrols which are out strictly to enforce DWIs.
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The intent of telegraphing the extra patrols is to get people to think ahead - not necessarily to catch people in the act, said Sgt. Brent Donahue of the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office.
"The benefit is in changing driver behavior for the better - to get them to think about making better decisions before they go out to have fun," Donahue said.
Holly Kostrzewski, the Northeastern Minnesota coordinator for the state's Toward Zero Deaths initiative, said the extra DWI patrols is just the latest enforcement wave as the state works to reduce roadway deaths.
"In May, it was seat-belt enforcement; in July, it was speeding," she said. "Now we're back on alcohol."
Distracted driving is another offense that elicits added enforcement.
The Intoxiclock is used by schools and employers which are attempting to increase awareness about the effects of alcohol on driving. Nicolson said it's best if people don't even try to do the math in their heads about whether they've had enough to drink or not to reach the legal BAC limit of 0.08.
"If you're going to be out," she said, "then have someone else drive you."
