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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 is 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 eliminate the leading highway safety
problem is for people never to drink alcohol and then
drive. But what if people do? How much is “too much” if
someone plans to drive? It is 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:
• 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 (120 ml) glasses of wine or three
mixed drinks if each had 1-1/2 ounces (45 ml) of liquors
like whiskey, gin or vodka.
It is 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.
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