This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

METAIRIE – As people prepare to ring in the New Year, many will choose to indulge in alcoholic beverages. In addition to reminding people of the dangers of driving under the influence, AAA Louisiana also reminds everyone of the dangers of driving with a hangover.

“Driving hungover can be just as dangerous as driving after having a few drinks,” said Don Redman, AAA Louisiana spokesman. “After a night of drinking, many people will wake up with alcohol still in their blood, or they will wake up tired and disoriented.”

According to the AAA DUI Justice Link, a resource to help reduce impaired driving, the only thing that will sober somebody up is time. It can take between 75-90 minutes or longer for the body to eliminate the alcohol contained in one standard-sized drink, which is longer than many people would assume.

Risks of Driving Hungover:
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, hangover symptoms peak when the blood alcohol concentration in the body returns to near zero. Symptoms can last 24 hours or longer, and can include:

  • Fatigue and weakness
  • Headaches and muscle aches
  • Nausea and stomach pain
  • Poor or decreased sleep
  • Dehydration
  • Vertigo
  • Sensitivity to light and sound
  • Anxiety
  • Irritability
  • Increased blood pressure

“We wouldn’t advise that anyone drives with any of these symptoms, regardless of whether they are recovering from a night of celebrating or not,” said Redman.

A study published earlier this year by the Journal of Clinical Medicine found that the level of impairment of test subjects who had consumed alcohol the previous night was comparable to driving while intoxicated at or above a BAC of 0.05%, demonstrating the dangers of driving while hungover, even when breath alcohol is at zero.

According to Louisiana’s Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety, there were 87 fatal and injury crashes in the state on New Year’s Day in 2020, of which 15 involved impaired drivers. Two people were killed in those crashes and another 23 people were seriously injured.