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.
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
U.S.
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. All
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!
4-3
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