DR. WALLACE: It's been proven that, pound for pound, females equal or surpass males in strength and coordination. Since this is a proven fact, I'm sure you will agree that females are safer drivers and, therefore, our auto insurance should be lower than male drivers. Do you have any statistics on who has the better driving habits, males or females? — Safe-Driving Girl, Elizabethtown, Ky.

SAFE DRIVER: I know of no statistics ranking traffic safety by gender, but I don't believe a person's sex has anything to do with the way he or she drives a car. Unsafe drivers tend to be reckless, careless, selfish, rude — and, of course, very dangerous. And they come in all shapes, sizes, colors, ethnicities and genders. But I also feel that male teenage drivers drive in a more reckless manner than teen female drivers. They also take more unsafe risks and are involved in a higher percentage of automobile accidents. It's primarily a macho thing!

ALL HOT COFFEE DOES IS BURN YOUR MOUTH

DR. WALLACE: Some time ago you stated that once a person is drunk, nothing would help him get sober. This isn't true. My boyfriend doesn't drink a lot, but once in a while he will have one or two too many. If this happens, I do the driving and we stop at the nearest fast-food restaurant and I get him a large, hot black coffee. When he finishes drinking the coffee he is sober. Also, a large local cemetery corporation offers free black coffee during the holiday season for those who need to sober up. Please learn the true facts before you print something. — Rachel, Brownsville, Tex.

RACHEL: Once a person is under the influence of alcohol the only remedy is the passage of time. Time alone is the only cure. Hot black coffee, cold showers, strenuous exercise and other popular remedies do not work because they cannot increase the rate at which a body disposes of alcohol. These so-called remedies can be dangerous when they give people a false sense of alertness.

It takes roughly one hour for the body to eliminate one standard alcoholic drink. Let's say your boyfriend consumes five drinks in two hours. It will take five hours from the time he takes his first drink until all of the alcohol is broken down and eliminated. Most alcohol (90 percent) is destroyed by a process called oxidation, which breaks alcohol down into carbon dioxide and water in the liver. This is what consumes time. The liver is limited to breaking down one drink per hour.

These, my dear Rachel, are the facts! All hot coffee does is fill you with caffeine and burn your mouth

WE ARE A HAPPILY MARRIED COUPLE

DR. WALLACE: My husband showed me your column and it really upset me. You told a 17-year-old girl that she should stop seeing a guy who was 29 even though they loved each other. I'm 17 and happily married to a guy who is 29. When I first saw the column I thought it was intended for my husband and me. The girl who wrote the letter lives in Atlanta, and my husband and I also live there. Everyone we know tried to tell us not to get married and fortunately, we didn't listen to them. We are a very happily married couple. Was this letter intended for us? If not, I hope this 17-year-old girl can work things out with her 29-year-old guy. - Nameless, Jackson, Miss.

NAMELESS: The letter wasn't intended for you. Once a couple marries they become a family, and age difference is not very important. I'm very happy that your husband and you are doing well. I know you both will continue having a loving relationship. However, I will not change my advice to a 17-year-old girl who is dating a guy 29. I will advise her to stop seeing this guy and find someone her own age to date.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Bex Walton