MSF Basic eCourse: Rider Impairments Questions And Answers

Alcohol - ans-Alcohol is a drug and a major contributor to crashes. It reduces your ability to search for hazards, evaluate factors, and execute physical actions. Research shows that almost 50 percent of the riders killed in crashes had been drinking before taking off. Two-thirds of those riders had alcohol levels below the legal limit. Even one drink can impair skills. Depressant drugs, such as alcohol, slow down the body's functions. Alcohol enters the blood quickly and gets to the brain. The effects begin after the first drink, and worsen as the drug builds up in the bloodstream. Judgment and vision are usually the first abilities to suffer and fade when drinking alcohol. Most people are affected by one drink. Blood Alcohol Content - ans-Blood alcohol content, or B.A.C. is determined by three factors: The amount of alcohol consumed How fast it is consumed The drinker's body weight Alcohol's Duration in the Body - ans-Drinking faster than the body can eliminate the alcohol causes it to accumulate in the blood. The adult male body is able to get rid of alcohol at the rate of almost one drink per hour. If a male consumed two drinks in an hour, at the end of that hour, the alcohol from one drink is eliminated, and the alcohol from one drink remains in the blood. If four drinks are consumed in an hour, at the end of that hour, the alcohol from three drinks will remain in the blood. Women process alcohol at about three-fourths of that rate.