Police records show that almost half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was drinking
and driving. In recent years, some
17,000
annual motor
vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use
of alcohol, with more than
300,000
people injured.
Many adults
--
by some estimates, nearly half the adult
population
--
choose never to drink alcohol,
so
they
never drive after drinking. For persons under 21, it’s
against the law in every
U.S.
state to drink alcohol.
There are good medical, psychological and
developmental reasons for these laws.
The obvious way to solve this highway safety problem
is for people never to drink alcohol and then drive. But
what if people do? How much is “too much” if the
driver 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:
0
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-lb. (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
(1
20
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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