Being Blind Drunk

This article is of special relevance to a day like today. It reports on a study that shows how even one stiff alcoholic drink can cause or worsen "inattentional blindness"--"where unexpected, yet salient objects appear in the visual fields but fail to be detected while subjects are focused on another task." This can seriously compromise the ability of a driver who's well below the legal limit to see something he needs to see in order to avoid a deadly accident.

Says one of the researchers in the study: "If you've had one drink, you may be so focused on paying attention to your speed so as not to get pulled over, that you completely miss seeing the pedestrian that walks directly in front of your car."

Have a great day today. If you drink, please don't drive. If you haven't drank a lot and you must drive, please be as attentive as you can to everything along your way.