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!
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
BAG
level.
There
is
a gender difference, too. Women generally have
a lower relative percentage of body water than men.
4-4
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