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18.1 Responsibility and Driving Condition
It is prohibited to drive a vehicle if the person due to illness, defect, injury or tiredness does not have the ability required for it.
Drunken Driving
Total alcohol consumption in Finland is about 10 liters of 100% alcohol per year per person.
The effects of alcohol are individual, but some of the most common effects are slow thinking and reduced ability to evaluate, slower reactions, increased self-confidence, hilarity and sociality. Excessive use of alcohol causes verbal and motoric failures and even unconsciousness.
Almost every fourth traffic fatality involves a drunken driver. Usually it is the drunken driver or a passenger in the same car that dies. On average, some 10 per cent of all fatalities in drunken driving accidents are bystanders.
The blood alcohol limit for drunken driving is 0.5 g/liter. This can be measured while driving or after.
For aggravated drunken driving the limit is 1.2 g/liter.
A person driving an unmotorised vehicle, e.g. a bicycle under the influence of alcohol or drugs can be convicted for driving an unmotorised vehicle under the influence of alcohol.
Burning off the Alcohol
Blood alcohol level depends on the weight of a person. Alcohol consumption raises the blood alcohol level faster with women due to the lower level of liquid in their bodies. The alcohol starts to burn in the body already two hours after having a drink. Gender or age does not have much effect on how fast the alcohol burns in a body.
Body of a healthy adult burns about one gram of alcohol for every ten kilograms of weight per hour. For example, adult weighting 80 kg burns 8 grams of alcohol in an hour.
One restaurant portion of alcohol (12-14 grams of alcohol) raises the blood alcohol level by 0.2 permille and it burns in 1.2 – 2.4 hours, depending on the person's weight and the condition of the liver.
Alcohol portions |
Drinks |
|---|---|
1 portion |
bottle of beer/cider (33 cl) |
2 portions |
half a litre of A- beer (strong beer) |
7 portions |
bottle of weak wine (75 cl) |
Other Intoxicants
Finland has zero tolerance for drug use in traffic. Based on this law, a person is convicted for drunken driving if the presence of drugs is detected in a blood test.
In Finland about 4 000 drivers who are under the influence of drugs are caught by police every year
Stress
Usually a cause for an accident is due to observing error, that can be caused by e.g. stress.
Stress is something that causes strong feelings of worry or anxiety. Stress can affect both our body and our mind. Moderate and temporal stress may increase our attention as well as our ability to concentrate and perform. If the stress is strong and continues for a long time the psychical performance of a person decreases.
Person under large amounts of stress can become unable to sleep, concentrate or think clearly. Such a person may be angry, anxious, miserable or frustrated.
Tiredness
Falling asleep and tiredness are significant causes for traffic accidents. Driver falling asleep or tiredness related steering error is the main cause for every fifth collision with casualties. Being awake for more than 24 hours weakens a person's driving ability as much as being one per mille (‰) drunk.
Young males have high risk to cause a tiredness related accident, because they:
move about a lot during the night,
often sleep too little,
the lack of sleep has stronger effect on them than to older people,
they can overestimate their durability and fall asleep at the wheel,
be sensitive with the peer pressure from the friends travelling in the car and will continue driving regardless of tiredness.
Ways to prevent falling asleep at the wheel:
Sleep minimum of 6 hours in preceding night.
Take breaks during the trip.
Avoid driving when sick and in poor shape.
Don't eat a sturdy meal or drink alcohol before the drive.
Avoid driving between 01-06, when the risk to fall asleep at the wheel is the highest.
Good and lively company helps in staying awake.
If you feel tired during a trip, stop the trip. If that is not possible, it is a good idea to drink something with caffeine e.g. coffee and take a 15-20 min nap afterwards.
Are you in driving condition?
Before every trip the driver should make sure that he or she is in driving condition. If you have any doubts about your driving condition, don’t go behind the wheel.
More things that affect to driving condition:
any medication marked with a red triangle
illness
low blood sugar levels