It’s the amount of alcohol that counts. For example,
if
the same person
drank
three
double
martinis
(3
ounces
or
9Oml
of
liquor each) within
an
how, the person’s
BAC
would
be
clo,se to
0.12
percent.
A
person who
consumes
food
just before or during drhking 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!
To Next Page
Loading...
Need help?
General
