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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!