It’s the amount
of
alcohol that counts. For example,
if
the same person drank three double martinis
(3
ounces
or
90
d
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.
There is a gender difference, too. Women generally have
a lower relative percentage
of
body
water than men.
Since alcohol is carried in body water,
this
means that a
woman generally will reach
a
higher
BAC
level than
a
man
of
her same body weight when each has the same
number
of
drinks.
The
law in many
U.S.
states sets the legal limit at a
BAC
of
0.10
percent. In
a
growing number
of
US.
states,
and
throughout Canada, the limit
is
0.08
percent. In some
other countries, it’s even lower. The
BAC
limit for all
commercial drivers in the United States is
0.04
percent.
The
BAC
will be over 0.10 percent after three
to
six
drinks (in one hour).
Of
course,
as
we’ve seen,
it
depends on
how
much alcohol
is
in the
drinks,
and
how
quickly the person drinks them.
But the ability
to
drive is affected well below a
BAC
of
0.10 percent. Research
shows
that the driving skills
of
many
people are impaired at a
BAC
approaching
0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. AB1
drivers are impaired at BAC levels above 0.05 percent.
Statistics show
that
the chance
of
being
in
a
collision
increases sharply for
drivers
who
have a
BAC
of
0.05 percent
or
above.
A
driver with
a
BAC
level
of
0.06
percent has doubled his or her chance
of
having
a
collision. At
a
BAC
level
of
0.10
percent, the chance
of
this driver having a collision is
12
times greater; at a
level
of
0.15
percent, the chance
is
25
times greater!
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