DON'T DRINK, DRIVE MAXIM CHALLENGED BY BEVERAGE GROUP.

Byline: Keith Stone Daily News Staff Writer

Again and again, the message taught in schools, plastered on billboards and pitched on TV and radio has been: Don't drink and drive, don't drink and drive - don't drink and drive.

Not everyone agrees.

The American Beverage Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group for restaurants and alcohol sellers, has launched a new ad campaign designed to convince people that it's OK to tip a few and then drive.

``You should be allowed to have a glass of wine or beer at a restaurant and drive home responsibly and safely,'' said spokeswoman Suzanne Kennedy, whose group counts 15 chain restaurants among its 500 company members.

Through letters and posters mailed to more than 300 newspapers, TV and radio stations and restaurants, the Beverage Institute is challenging the don't-drink-and-drive message as ``a concerted effort to outlaw social drinking.''

``We are not encouraging people to get blind drunk and drive,'' Kennedy said. ``What we want to do is educate people to know their limits and know what it is to be a responsible driver.''

Mothers Against Drunk Driving criticized the campaign, saying any amount of alcohol is too much when it comes to driving.

``It is ludicrous for the ABI to promote what they refer to as `responsible drinking and driving,' '' said MADD spokesman Robert Shearouse in a written statement.

``The cemeteries are full of drinking drivers who thought, no doubt, they were drinking and driving responsibly,'' Shearouse said.

Exactly what constitutes responsible drinking varies widely depending on who is talking.

Kennedy asserts that some people can drive safely after drinking enough alcohol to place them squarely above the legal limit in California.

``We base that on the fact that millions of people do that every night,'' she said.

The head of the California Highway Patrol says many people can have a drink at dinner and still drive legally, but a spokesman for the Miller Brewing Co. says it's safest not to tipple before taking the wheel.

By state law, a motorist with a blood-alcohol concentration of .08 percent is legally drunk for the purposes of driving. Under the law, however, motorists can be charged with driving under the influence for a concentration of far less than .08 percent if their driving is impaired.

The state Department of Motor Vehicles says motorists shouldn't knock back any alcohol at all before they drive.

``There is no safe way to drive after drinking. Even one drink can make you an unsafe driver,'' according to a chart that the DMV issues with vehicle registrations.

The chart also states: ``Drinking alcohol and driving at any age is illegal.''

DMV spokesman Bill Madison said the sentence is meant to be interpreted as ``drinking alcohol and driving at any age can be illegal.''

Such statements serve to underscore the Beverage Institute's claims.

``That just shows you the kind of misconception out there, and the kind of propaganda they are putting out,'' Kennedy said.

CHP Commissioner Dwight Helmick also said that the DMV's statement is not supported by law.

``That is absolutely not right,'' Helmick said, adding that he would ask the department to change the wording.

Helmick also said he disagrees with the DMV's position that having a drink makes you an unsafe driver.

``We have not gotten on the teetotaler bandwagon,'' Helmick said. ``A person can drive responsibly with a small amount of alcohol in their system.''

Exactly how much a person can drink before becoming irresponsible will differ, depending on their size, health, tolerance to alcohol and other factors, Helmick explained.

According to the DMV chart, a blood-alcohol concentration of between .01 percent and .04 percent means the driver ``may be DUI,'' and ``likely DUI'' between .05 percent and .07 percent. At that level, your odds of a crash are five times higher than if you were sober, the DMV says.

Miller Brewing Co. spokesman Victor Franco said his company recognizes that even a small amount of alcohol can impair some people but not for others.

``The safe bet is not to drink and drive,'' Franco said.

At the Beverage Institute, Kennedy said tenor of the debate has changed radically in recent years, shifting from ``don't drive drunk'' to ``don't drink and drive.''