Based on the Road Crash Statistics released by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in 2020, 31,811 accidents were reported in Metro Manila from January to August of the said year.

According to the MMDA, at least 618 of these accidents occurred in EDSA, one of the busiest roads in the Metro. Around 509 of these resulted in damage to property, while some 105 instances were barrier-related accidents.

MMDA then states that one of the common causes of barrier-related accidents was drunk driving or driving under the influence of alcohol.

That said, we’re looking into why drunk driving is dangerous and why it shouldn’t be on anyone’s bucket list.

Typical effects of alcohol

According to the experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US, varying amounts of alcoholic drinks trigger different yet typical effects. For example, after about two alcoholic drinks an individual may experience relaxation, some loss of judgment, slight body warmth, and in some cases, altered mood. The effects worsen the more alcoholic beverages are consumed and range from poor muscle coordination, inability to quickly detect and react to hazards, slowed thinking, and major loss of balance.

Imagining how these effects would make it hard for a person to keep himself or herself together, we reckon it would be harder still to steer a 1,060-kg sedan at a speed of 60kph.

Predictable effects of alcohol when driving

Per the experts from CDC, the aforementioned substantially affect one’s ability to command a vehicle. Some minor effects of alcohol on one's driving capabilities include a decline in visual functions; reduced eye, hand, and foot coordination; and a declining ability to respond to emergency driving situations.

Those who have chugged more than they can handle will most likely experience loss of concentration, impaired perception, reduced information processing, as well as a reduced ability to maintain lane position and brake appropriately.

In short, you’re basically throwing everything you’ve learned in training out of the window. And that’s why you’ve never seen Jackie Chan — the drunken master himself — drink alcohol in his movie Thunderbolt. Kidding aside, no matter how good or bad you are in Math, we’re pretty sure that you know the answer when you add alcohol and driving.

Laws on drunk driving

The Philippine law system has rules in place to prevent and discourage people to take the wheel when under the influence of alcohol, and ultimately punish those who do so and cause damage in the process.

Per the Land Transportation Office (LTO)’s Filipino Driver’s Manual, non-professional drivers caught driving under the influence of alcohol, dangerous drugs, and/or other similar substances will immediately get their driver’s licenses confiscated and suspended for 12 months. Repeat offenders will have to face revocation of their right to drive and use the public road.

Furthermore, the MMDA intensified its anti-drunk driving and anti-distracted driving operations in Metro Manila in 2020 where they began setting up strategic checkpoints during curfew hours and have conducted random breath analyzer tests on drivers.

Final thoughts

Either way you look at it, driving a car or a motorcycle when you’ve had several bottles of beer or shots of hard drinks, is never cool. Not only are you endangering yourself but also the innocent people around you.

Photos from Carmudi and ZigWheels

Also read: 

In the know: Traffic violations that merit a license suspension

Expressway-legal: 400cc motorcycles in the Philippines

In the know: How to get an international driving permit