The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and
then drive. But what
if
people do? How much is “too
much”
if
someone plans to drive? It’s 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 Concentration (BAC) of someone
who is drinking depends upon four things:
The amount of alcohol consumed
The drinker’s body weight
The amount of food that is consumed before and
during drinking
The length of time it has taken the drinker to
consume the alcohol.
According to the American Medical Association, a
180
Ib
(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.
It’s the amount of alcohol that counts. For example,
if
the same person drank three double martinis
(3
ounces
or
90
ml of liquor each) within an hour, the person’s
BAC would be close to 0.12 percent. A person
who consumes food just before or during drinking will
have a somewhat lower BAC level.
4-3
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