With the holiday season upcoming, it is no secret that anti drunk driving
campaigns will be heard and seen throughout New Jersey. Accidents caused
by drunk driving (and subsequent deaths) are of particular concern during
Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve, because people tend
to drink more during this time of the year. While law enforcement agencies
and safety advocates will urge drivers to be
careful, true vigilance comes from knowing how much alcohol is in a particular drink.
Even as consumers try to limit their drinks, they could still be getting
more than what they bargained for, as drinks may have much more alcohol
in them than what is believed. According to the National Alcohol Beverage
Control Association, many drinks being served in bars and restaurants
exceed the guideline amounts provided by the United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA).
For example, a “drink”, according to the USDA guidelines, is
a 12 ounce beer with five percent alcohol or a five ounce glass of wine
with 12 percent alcohol. However, some beers exceed the alcohol threshold,
even though they may be very similar. Flavored beers and malt beverages
such as Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Bacardi Silver, and Bud Light Platinum
may have more alcohol than a traditional beer such as Coors Light. A consumer
who drinks two “designer” beers may be consuming as much as
50 percent more alcohol than a traditional beer without even realizing it.
Because of this, drivers must be careful in choosing their drinks so that
they don’t end up on the wrong side of the law.
Source: Healthday.com,
How much alcohol in your drink? Stonger beverages make it tough to tell, October 21, 2013