How do alcohol and other drugs affect driving?

When you drive, your hands, eyes and feet control the vehicle, and your brain controls your hands, eyes and feet. To drive safely, you need to be alert, aware and able to make quick decisions in response to a rapidly-changing environment.

Alcohol and other drugs alter the normal function of the brain and body, and interfere with even the most skilled and experienced driver’s ability to drive safely. While different drugs can have different effects on driving, any drug that slows you down, speeds you up or changes the way you see things can affect your driving—too often with tragic consequences.

Click here to read the rest of the The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s (CAMH) “Do You Know” pamphlet on Alcohol, Other Drugs and Driving.