Police records show that almost half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol
-
a driver, a
passenger or someone else, such as a-pedestrian, had
been drinking. In most cases, these deaths are the result
of someone who was drinking and driving. About
20,000
motor vehicle-related deaths occur each year
because of alcohol, and thousands of people are injured.
Just how much alcohol is
too
much if a person plans to
drive? Ideally, no one should drink alcohol and then
drive. But if one does, then what’s “too ‘much”? It can be
a lot less than many might think. Although it depends on
each person and situation, here is some general
information on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)
of
someone who is
drinking depends upon four things:
How much alcohol is in the drink.
0
The drinker’s body weight.
The amount of food that
is
consumed before and
during drinking.
0
The lengthof time
it
has taken the drinker to
consume the alcohol.
According to the American Medical Association,
a
180-pound (82 kg) person who drinks three 12-ounce
(355
ml) bottles
of
beer in an hour will end up with a
BAC of about
0.06
percent. The person would reach the
same BAC by drinking three 4-ounce
(
120
ml) glasses
of wine or three mixed drinks if each had
1
-
1/2 ounces
(45
ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin
or
vodka.
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