New York Insurance and Point Reduction Program

Module 2 Review
Psychological Factors, Driving Distractions, DWI Prevention, Blood
Alcohol Concentration, Legal and Financial Consequences, Avoiding
Impaired Driving

• Stress, fatigue, and emotional distress, distractions, and alcohol and drug use can all impair your
ability to drive safely.
• We all need some stress in our lives; however, too much stress can negatively affect your
physical and mental well-being. Look for ways to reduce or address your own stress, and make
sure to calm down before driving.
• The body responds to stress with three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
• Four methods to address the onset of stress are physical activity, sharing your feeling of stress
with someone, cooperation instead of confrontation, and knowing your limits.
• Fatigue may cause “highway hypnosis,” in which a driver becomes drowsy or unaware while
driving.
• Driving while sleep deprived, driving alone, and driving frequently all put drivers at greater risk
of having a crash.
• Truck drivers are especially susceptible to fatigue-related crashes.
• Sleep apnea and certain other disorders can also increase the risk of fatigue-related crashes.
• To prevent fatigue from affecting your driving: get a good night’s sleep, bring a passenger to
share the driving responsibility, stop about every two hours, and avoid alcohol and other drugs.
• Emotionally distressed drivers are at an increased risk of motor vehicle crashes because they are
thinking about what is upsetting them instead of concentrating on driving.
• Emotionally distressed drivers may engage in aggressive driving tendencies such as running red
lights or stop signs, not yielding the right-of-way, or driving recklessly.
• The emotional trauma of experiencing a crash may cause feelings such as shock, anger,
nervousness, anxiety, fear, and guilt.
• Having a positive attitude while driving, driving defensively, and not letting stress or hurriedness
affect your driving all help you to drive safely.
• Risk-taking drivers enjoy the thrill of danger, enjoy impressing passengers or other drivers,
disregard personal safety, try to control situations or overestimate their ability, and justify risks
taken in a “noble” cause.
• Good drivers generally pay attention to the road, observe accurately, match their speed and
direction to the situation, stay aware of risks, recognize that heavy traffic and the actions of
others are beyond their control, are able to let go of perceived personal insults in the actions of
other drivers, and know that nothing on the road worth dying over.
• Examples of driving distractions include using a cell phone, shaving, applying makeup, reading
books or maps, and paying attention to any other non-driving issues outside of the vehicle.
• Using a handheld mobile device while driving is prohibited in New York unless: you are calling
an emergency response operator (911, hospital, fire department, police) in response to an
 emergency; you are using the device as part of your official duties (as a police officer or
firefighter, for example); or you are using a hands-free mobile device.
• Drivers may be fined up to $150 and be assessed points against their driver’s license for violating
the New York Vehicle and Traffic Law by using a portable electronic device while driving.
• Alcohol is a depressant that increases the possibility of motor vehicle crashes because it slows
reaction time, decision-making, and hand-eye coordination.
• Effects of alcohol on the central nervous system include impaired judgment; impaired muscle
coordination; decreased peripheral vision, multiple vision and blurring; dizziness and night
vision impairment; slowed complex reaction time, and drowsiness.
• Alcohol affects major organs of the body including the brain, stomach, and liver.
• Alcohol provokes a sensation similar to euphoria, which makes drinkers wrongly assess their
capabilities and take risks they would not normally take.
• Prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, depressants, stimulants, narcotics and
hallucinogens are other types of drugs that affect driving.
• The synergistic effect is what happens when a person combines two or more drugs; each drug
compounds the effect of the other, further altering the driver’s ability to drive safely.
• BAC is the abbreviation for blood alcohol concentration, the measurement of alcohol in your
bloodstream per unit of volume.
• You may be charged with Driving While Ability Impaired (DWAI) if you are in control of a
motor vehicle with a BAC of between .05 and .07.
• Driving with a BAC of .08 or higher is considered Driving While Intoxicated (DWI).
• Under New York’s Zero Tolerance laws, drivers under the age of 21 can be found guilty of
“driving after having consumed alcohol, even with a BAC as low as .02.
• Legal penalties for DWI, DWAI, and Zero Tolerance laws in the state of New York range from
$300 and a 90-day license suspension up to $10,000 and a six-month license revocation.
• New York’s implied consent law means that you may be fined and have your license revoked if
you refuse to take a sobriety test.
• The financial consequences of driving under the influence are devastating if the costs of being
convicted of DWI are taken into consideration.
• Direct monetary costs of a DWI conviction may include vehicle towing and storage, fines and
attorney fees, court fees, higher insurance and healthcare costs, property damage, and
rehabilitation for the injured.
• Quality-of-life losses related to a DMW conviction include criminal charges for the person found
guilty of DWI, pain and suffering of those injured, and loss of family members and loved ones.
• Work (productivity) loss includes the salary and benefits of anyone injured, time drivers are
delayed in crash-related traffic jams, and effort of co-workers and supervisors to recruit and train
replacements.
• Never drink and drive. If you do consume alcohol, do not get behind the wheel of a motor
vehicle. Instead, choose a designated driver, spend the night where you drink (at a friend’s house
for example), or take a taxi or ride service.
• Try to avoid other drivers who may be impaired. They may not be easy to identify, because some
of the behaviors that they exhibit may also be exhibited by drowsy or fatigued drivers.
• Weekends, evenings – especially between midnight and 3:00 AM – holidays, and paydays tend to
see an increase in the number of impaired drivers on the roads.
• Impaired drivers may be near bars and nightclubs, as well as on roads leading to or from resort
areas, sports arenas and other public gathering places.