Drunk Driving Is Bad, But Hungover Driving Can Be Just As Dangerous

We all know — or at least should know — that drinking and driving is just about the dumbest, most reckless thing you can do behind the wheel of a car. But, just because you waited until the next morning to drive your car after a night of drinking doesn't entirely get rid of risk. In fact, Ford's Driving Skills for Life program showed reporters on the Today show that hungover driving can actually be just as dangerous as drunk driving.

Even after the alcohol is out of your system, there are plenty of lingering effects thanks to its impact on cognitive function, sleep quality and disruption of the brain's neurochemistry, according to Ford Authority. These factors combined can end up slowing down your reaction times and prolonging decision-making. That means you're far more likely to make a very bad mistake behind the wheel.

"You can have some similar issues to drunk driving," Mike Speck, a professional driving instructor at Driving Skills for Life, told Today.

This free program from Ford has been a tool used by the automaker to teach young drivers important skills they'll need to avoid accidents, and it's apparently supposed to go well beyond what you learn in a traditional driver education class. This drunk/hungover driver program is clear evidence of that.

A Today reporter got behind the wheel of a Ford Bronco Sport. Don't worry, she wasn't hungover — rather, Ford Driving Skills for Life simulates hangovers by using a special suit that throws off the driver's balance with a weighted vest and bracelets. It also has goggles that make eyes more sensitive to light and headphones that simulate a headache. Anyone who has had a hangover knows what this is like.

She had to navigate all sorts of sharp turns and sudden lane changes on a closed course that were designed to mimic emergency maneuvers you could encounter while driving. Without the suit on, she was able to do these rather mundane maneuvers without any issues, but once she got geared up, things went sideways in a hurry. She almost immediately veered off the course, hitting cones, while attempting to do the emergency lane change at slower speeds than she was doing earlier.

"That is definitely a life or death situation. More death than life. If there was a guardrail on the side of the road, you would have struck that. You could have overturned this car," Dan Donza, a Skip Barber Racing School instructor, told her. It's a bad crash.

The same sort of thing happened on the road course, where the reporter left her lane almost immediately, striking cones and causing general mayhem on track.

"At least one person was killed. If you're hungover a little bit, you don't feel that," Donza — a former police officer — said. "You think you're doing okay."

Experts say the effects of a hangover can last a full day after consuming alcohol, according to Today, and I can attest to this based on prior testing.

When it comes to knowing when you're good to get back behind the wheel after drinking, it all comes down to how much you drank, how your body processes alcohol and how much you weigh, so you've gotta check in with yourself. Today says that if you aren't feeling yourself, don't get behind the wheel, because the results can be lethal.