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DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
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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 Associ-
ation, a 180 lbs (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.
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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 per-
son who consumes food just before or dur-
ing 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
will when each has the same number of
drinks.
The law in most U.S. states, and through-
out Canada, sets the legal limit at 0.08 per-
cent. In some other countries, the limit is
even lower. For example, it is 0.05 percent
in both France and Germany. 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 have 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 peo-
ple 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 will be careful” is not the
right answer. What if there is an emer-
gency, a need to take sudden action, as
when a child darts into the street? A per-
son with even a moderate BAC might not
be able to react quickly enough to avoid
the collision.