Russian Christmas Spirit Is DUI: Siberians Drink and Drive To Prove Why We Shouldn't

Right off the bat, let me point out that this experiment was conducted in a closed and controlled environment, under professional supervision from a first-response medical team. Having cleared that legal aspect, let’s see what the Russian field testing is about.

We have all been made aware, at one point or another in our lives, that excessive consumption of alcohol is generally harmful. This is multiplied a thousand-fold when high-risk activities are considered, and driving a car on public roads is not without hidden hazards. That’s why the driver must be at the top of his or her game to reach the destination safely.

But exactly how does a high-proof beverage affect one’s driving abilities? Well, the answer to that differs with the number of variables introduced in the equation. Still, the general concept is that zero alcohol is the best physical state to get behind the wheel. Still, one particular group of tree-shade scientists (and antagonistic school of mechanics) have taken upon themselves (ever the motoring heroes) to find out.

This experiment can be conducted in several ways, but the Russian way is always straightforward. It’s winter in the northern hemisphere, and some parts of the world – like the city of Novosibirsk in south-central Russia – have already enjoyed the first snowfall of the cold season. Now, being from a country that firmly believes in the magical insulating properties of vodka, the gang from Garage 54 is no stranger to that particular spirit.

They have chosen two volunteers to… how to put this politically correct? Get drunk and drive; that should trigger a unanimous understanding of the basics of this experiment. Two young fellows are the subjects of this practical demonstration of the world-spread theorem of ‘Don’t drink and drive.’

Now, the Siberian YouTubers don’t reveal the details of this thorough analysis, like the quantity ingested, the concentration of ethylic substances in the drinks, or the entire duration of the trial. The obstacle course devised by the Garage 54 armchair savants is fairly demanding for a sober driver, let alone for someone with a few shots of vodka in their system.

The objective is to complete the stages (slalom, parallel parking, roundabout, reverse parking, reverse slalom, and front parking) without touching any cone. An added bonus is making it to the finish line in the shortest time, but that’s just for the fun. It is also a good indicator of throttle control – but that’s up to your personal subjective assessment.

Surprisingly, given this experiment's geographical and cultural particularities, the test is aborted after two runs from each driver. Although the two lads aren’t visibly affected by whatever they drank, the judges declared the test successful. After all, the whole point is to stress that driving under the influence is a terrible idea, no matter the circumstances.

In conclusion, alcohol and piston deeds don’t get along unless it’s for high-performance applications when methanol is sprayed in the combustion chambers, either in combination with water (to cool down the cylinders) or as fuel (for extreme speed purposes). Oh, and it's the same for EVs: any car has one driver seat, all the others are for the drinkers.