What percentage of drinkers actually use designated drivers?

What percentage needs one? When I drink, it is almost always at my boyfriend’s house with him and his roommates. We just stay there. At the same time, if we do go out, we take public transit there and back. We don’t have a designated driver, but we also don’t need one.

Not enough, most people, when drunk, think they can still drive. The only ones who use DD are the ones who preplanned or are forced to by others.

I think they should take your keys when you enter a bar, and pass a breathalyzer before getting them back. But that just me.

I heard on the radio recently that on a Friday and Saturday night, 40% of all drivers on the road are drunk.

I know of at least 6 friends, family members or associates who drive drunk regularly.

“What, it’s only 6 beers and a shot. I’m not going far. Only a couple of miles.”

Blows my mind.

With my group of friends we always decide beforehand who is the designated, depending on how many people and how many cars/drivers needed if their is driving needed. If we are going out where public transportation we’ll just use that, most of the time we’ll decide one anyway. It is usually not a hard decision there are a couple of people in our group that do not drink because they choose not too.

I think people always think that they are just fine, but even if on some level they know they are too impaired to drive, they don’t want to admit the weakness of needing a designated driver. I don’t drink, but my boyfriend does and I have told him that if I am ever out with him and he is drinking a fair amount (more than say a drink an hour) I would take his keys away and he said that he wouldn’t give them to me. Seeing as he’s 6’1 and almost 200 pounds and I am 5’3 and 130 pounds, it would be very difficult for me to take away his keys if he didn’t want me to.

People often lack the ability to judge their own boundaries accurately. So, the number of people who use a designated driver? My guess would be not many.

What a great question. Very thought provoking.
I have always told my children (even before they were of legal age) that if they are drinking to call us and we will go pick them up or call us and tell us they are spending the night somewhere. Fortunately, they have been very level headed about how,when, and where they party.

I know some people who drink at college and they have designated drivers. Unfortunately, many don’t have them since they don’t have cars, so they end up passed out somewhere.

I don’t drink and I’m getting my mom’s hand-me-down minivan in a year and I think it would be awesome to be a designated driver/chauffeur…for a small fee per person, paid up front when they are sober. No money? No ride to the bar heh heh.

I could make sooo much money! and keep people safe!
Of course, it would be BYOBB (bring your own barf bag) and any numbnut who makes a mess is getting carpet cleaner and cleaning it up when he’s sober!

(sorry OT)

@seekingwolf: I think you may be on to something. :^0

I always use one when it’s necessary (sometimes its me), and I won’t go out with other people and knowingly let them drink and drive. For example, if I have a friend like Katawa’s boyfriend, for me it’s not about taking their keys away, it’s about being a hardass, and saying something like, “You’re ordering a third drink? Didn’t you drive here?” Etc etc. But most of my friends are pretty responsible, and I hate being a hard-ass, so I usually just get together with them at someone’s house, and then we either only have 1 or 2 drinks, or if we want to really have fun we just plan to spend the night.

Whatever the number, not enough people use a Designated Driver. Designated drivers have probably saved nearly 50,000 lives and spared many more thousands of people from suffering injury from drunk driving. Over nine out of 10 Americans who attend social events where alcohol is served would like to see designated drivers used. And the proportion of people using or being a designated driver has increased dramatically over time. Each year over 73,000,000 Americans either serve as a designated driver or are driven home by one.

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/PreventingDrunkDriving.html