Happy hours are a globally enjoyed gathering. After a long day of work, employees put aside their tasks to have a few discounted drinks, chat, and enjoy. However, given that happy hours occur right after work and commuting by car is common in many cities, happy hours pose an often overlooked threat to safety on the roads. For instance,“Traffic Safety Administration statistics show that 21- to 34-year-olds are most likely to have a fatal vehicle crash after drinking” (Providence Journal). This age group is also the most frequent to take advantage of happy hour deals. While a drink or two might not impair some individuals, it is enough to impair others and create a dangerous situation.
For example, “[f]or a woman weighing 130 pounds, a blood alcohol level higher than .08 would be surpassed somewhere between the second and third drink. A 170-pound man’s blood alcohol level would exceed .08 between the third and fourth drink,” which are not uncommon amounts to drink due to discounted happy hour deals (Providence Journal). Additionally, “At a BAC of .08 grams of alcohol per deciliter (g/dL) of blood, crash risk increases exponentially,” showing the clear dangers of drinking even a small amount and then driving (NHTSA.gov).
In eight U.S. states, happy hour drink deals are actually illegal in order to discourage drunk driving. These states recognized the dangers happy hours create and banned drinks deals during the prime, after work hours. However, in 42 US states and across the rest of the world, happy hours are still legal. While banning happy hour drink deal across the world is practically impossible and honestly no fun, what is necessary is to know how happy hour drinks affect individuals and their driving abilities. Being informed allows people to make safe decisions, such as calling a ride if impaired. The Otorize app offers users the ability to be informed through a 5 second impairment test on the user's smartphone. Thanks to Otorize, happy hours can continue in safer fashion, and allow individuals to make informed, safer decisions while still enjoying their time.
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