Drink and driving don’t mix

1. Plot a graph to show how thinking distance, braking distance and total stopping distance are affected by the speed of the car. What conclusions can you draw?
2. Assuming that two alcoholic drinks add a total of 20% to the thinking distance of a driver, work out the new total stopping distance if the driver had consumed these drinks. Plot your results on a graph.
3. How does alcohol affect the stopping distance? How does this differ with the speed of the car?
4. Explain why it is not advisable to drink alcohol before driving a car, or riding a motorcycle, moped or bicycle. How might this risk increase as the driver’s BAC increases?
5. Why should pedestrians be careful about how much alcohol they drink?