Blast from the past! Back in 2008 we had a Mario Kart DUI experiment that got some attention. A lot of attention. Tons of it in fact! As the post has been down for a while, here it is for new readers and Googlers.
It's the question that has gone unanswered since Jesus first debated it with Abraham: how much does drinking actually impair your driving skills? Now is the time to answer it, through the most accurate of measurements: Wii Mario Kart!
We measured three players while sober, with around .04% blood alcohol content (BAC,) and around .08% BAC. The results are interesting...
| Player | 0 BAC | 0.04 BAC | 0.08 BAC | Avg Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew | 3:45 | 3:36 | 3:36 | 3:39 |
| Mike | 3:26 | 3:22 | 3:22 | 3:23 |
| Remi | 3:35 | 3:23 | 3:23 | 3:27 |
| Averages | 3:35 | 3:27 | 3:27 | 3:30 |
The results are interesting! Notice that we completed the courses quicker across the board with alcohol in the blood, and all three of us had the same times with .04 and .08 BAC.
So what is the conclusion? Drinking and driving is obviously faster, and should be encouraged! (But only in video gaming, kids.)
Some other numbers, outside of the actual experiment:
Best racer: Mike, averaging 3:23.
Worst racer: Geneva, averaging 3:52. (It should be pointed out she did beat the author of this post once.)
Greatest improvement: Andrew, 9 seconds down.
Closest race: Becky VS Remi, where the best man (that would be me) won by one second. (3:31)