Alcohol Reduces Body's Ability
to Tolerate Impact of Car Crashes

Researchers at the University of Michigan (U-M) Health System say that alcohol-related motor-vehicle crashes result in more severe injuries because alcohol reduces the body's ability to withstand the impact of a crash, Newswise reported Dec. 17.

"For some reason, alcohol seems to decrease the body's tolerance to the forces one experiences in a crash. Anyone in the car who has been drinking, whether driver or passenger, is therefore at greater risk for injury," said Dr. Ronald Maio, director of the U-M Injury Research Center.

Maio added that the research shows that reduced body tolerance occurs "even if blood-alcohol levels are below the legal definition of intoxication, which is .08 in most states."

Alcohol is linked to 41 percent of all motor-vehicle crash fatalities and an estimated 1 million injuries each year.

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