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.
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 slightly lower
BAC level.
DRINKING
THAT
Will
IN
THE
TIME
SHOWN
RESULT
IN
A
BAC OF
.05%
1
HOURS
’
HOURS
HOUR
100
120
la0 160
160
200
220
240
BODY
WEIGHT
IN POUNDS
The law
in
most
U.S.
states sets the legal
limit at
a
BAC
of
0.10 percent.
In
Canada
the limit is 0.08 percent, and
in
some
other
countries it’s lower than that. 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 it’s very important
to
keep in mind
that
the
ability to drive
is
affected well
below a RAC 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.
All
drivers are
impaired at BAC levels above 0.05
percent. Statistics show that the chance
of
being
in
an accident increases sharply for
drivers who have a BAC
of
0.05 percent
or above.
A
driver with a BAC level
of
0.06
percent (three beers
in
one hour for a
180-pound or 82 kg person) has doubled
his
or
her
chance of having an accident.
At a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the
chance of that driver having an accident
is
six times greater; at a level of 0.15
percent, the chances are twenty-five times
greater! And, the body takes about
an
hour
to
rid
itself
of
the
alcohol
in
one
drink.
No
amount of coffee or number of
cold showers will speed that up.
‘‘I’ll
be careful” isn’t the right answer.
What
if
there’s an emergency, a need to
take sudden action, as when
a
child darts
into the street? A person with
a
higher
BAC might not be able
to
react quickly
enough
to
avoid the collision.
101
.
m.
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