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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!
The body takes about an hour to rid itself
of
the alcohol
in
one
drink.
No
amount of coffee or number of cold
showers will speed that up. “I’ll be careful” isn’t the
right answer. What if there’s an emergency,
a
need
to
take sudden action, as when a child darts into the street?
A person with even a moderate BAC might not be able
to react quickly enough
to
avoid the collision.
There’s something else about drinking and driving that
many people don’t know. Medical research shows that
alcohol in a person’s system can make crash injuries
worse, especially injuries
to
the brain, spinal cord or
heart. This means that when anyone who has been
drinking
--
driver or passenger
--
is
in
a crash, that
person’s chance
of
being killed or permanently disabled
is higher than if the person had not been drinking.
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