Impact of Substances on Driving
True or False: You can legally drive on medication as long as it is prescribed to you.
False: Read labels on prescription and over the counter medication. Heavy machinery includes vehicles.
When the ______ detects threats to the brain, it signals the _______.
When the amygdala detects threats to the brain, it signals the hypothalamus.
What can temporarily alleviate symptoms of anxiety but can actually make it worse later on?
Alcohol & other substances
This substance is 50-100 times more potent than morphine
Fentanyl
What is the "legal limit" for drivers under the age of 21 in Massachusetts?
0.02
Can reduce coordination, concentration, ability to track moving objects and reduce response to emergency driving situations as well as difficulty steering and maintaining lane position. It can also cause drowsiness.
Alcohol
What system in our brain is responsible for fight, flight, or freeze mode?
The automatic nervous system
95% of your serotonin receptors can be found where?
Our gut.
Serotonin plays a role in mood stabilization, appetite, sleep, memory and learning, social behavior, and more.
A substance invited by the Bayer company in the late 1800's and thought to be a cure for morphine addiction
After your license is reinstated following a 2nd OUI, you must have the IID installed in your car for how many years?
Two years.
If you do not obey the Ignition Interlock Law, your license will be revoked and suspended for ten years to life.
After alcohol, which substance is most often found in the blood of drivers involved in crashes?
Marijuana
When the ANS is stimulated, what two stress hormones are released?
adrenaline and cortisol
True or false: Research shows that anxiety may be more prevalent in men than in women
False. Research shows that anxiety may be more prevalent in women than men.
It is important to consider culture and societal norms regarding how men may express vulnerability and emotions.
What famous psychologist promoted cocaine as a medicine to sexual impotence and depression.
Sigmund Freud
.15
List two reasons as to why it is hard to measure how many crashes are caused by drugged driving
•A good roadside test for drug levels in the body doesn't yet exist
•Some drugs can stay in your system for days or weeks after use, making it difficult to determine when the drug was used, and therefore, how and if it impaired driving
•Police don't usually test for drugs if drivers have reached an illegal blood alcohol level because there's already enough evidence for a DUI charge
•Many drivers who cause crashes are found to have both drugs and alcohol or more than one drug in their system, making it hard to know which substance had the greater effect
What happens to your blood when your body perceives threats?
It thickens, which increases clotting factors. This prepares your body for injury.
Name and describe 5 out of the 10 ways to better manage anxiety
1.Fact Check Your Thoughts –See if you can pinpoint what you are thinking about. Identify unhelpful thoughts and ask if they are 100% true/what can you control?
2.Do a Body Scan – Where on your body are holding the anxiety
3.Breathe – Practice deep breathing to slow down breath
4.5-4-3-2-1 Grounding – 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste
5.Journaling – Write down what you are feeling and any thoughts that flow out
6.Mindfulness Meditation – Orient yourself back to the present moment
7.Progressive Muscle Relaxation – Tensing & relaxing different muscles in your body
8.Splash Cold Water on Your Face – Brings you back to the present moment
9.Use a Fidget/Massage Your Hand – Relieves stress/tension and also allows you to focus on something else
10.Declutter Your Space – Our living space can be a reflection of how we feel on the inside. This can help us clarify our minds.
Mr. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup (1800’s) had 65 mg. of morphine per fluid once + alcohol and was used to treat what?
Children who were teething
Named “the baby killer” in 1911 but remained on the market in the UK until 1930
The new infrastructure bill includes new cars to be required to have technology to detect drunk drivers and ________.
A system to keep children from being accidentally left in vehicles on hot days.
Social Host Liability Law.
Being in constant survival mode can deplete our body’s recourses and lead to many physical systems of anxiety.
What are three causes for over-activation of fight-flight-freeze responses?
Prior experiences, life stressors, genetic factors, trauma
Foods that have ______ and ______ in them have been proven in some research to be helpful in improving anxiety & depression like symptoms.
Magnesium & Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Marilyn Monroe died with a massive amount of this found in her system.
Phenobarbitual
What year had the highest number of traffic crash related deaths since 2007?
2020.
Although people in the U.S. drove less in 2020 because of the pandemic, an estimated 38,680 people died in traffic crashes.