Why is it so dangerous to drink and drive? Think about it: driving involves piloting a 1-ton steel machine at relatively high speeds while avoiding obstacles such as other vehicles, trees, and telephone poles. Accomplishing this task requires good reflexes, coordination and judgment. Accomplishing this task requires good reflexes, coordination and judgment. After a few drinks, these faculties go right out the window. Your vision becomes blurry and you become clumsy and uncoordinated. By the time you approach the legal limit, you can't walk a straight line, must less drive one!

Unfortunately, alcohol also affects your ability to perceive danger, so you are less likely to realize how dangerous it would be for you to get behind the wheel. Remember that the next time you ask a friend, "Are you okay to drive?" The Illinois Secretary of State's office holds presentations for schools, businesses and civic groups on the dangers of drunk driving. To help spectators get a feel for how dangerous it is to drive drunk, these presentations often include real "beer goggles" to simulate the effects of being intoxicated. To request more information from the Secretary of State's office, click here.