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Alcohol and the body
Alcohol and driving
The link between driving ability and alcohol impairment is probably the most intensely studied area with respect to the effect of alcohol on cognitive functions.
Driving is a complex task involving the integration and coordination of many skills and abilities. It involves dynamic and continuous interaction between the driver and his or her vehicle and the environment. It requires swift and accurate transfer of data from the environment to the driver, the processing of information, decisions, if any, on how to respond and the translation of any decisions into physical action.
Impairment at low BAC levels
The scientific community is unable to replicate the real-world driving task (an over-learned task).
To assess the effects of alcohol on the ability to drive, researchers have disassembled the driving function into theoretical parts for study. Although there is some evidence that impairment in some individuals may begin at low BAC levels, this data must be treated with some caution. What is clear, however, is that most persons with a BAC of 100 mg% would suffer some impairment.