Owner's Manual

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
slightly lower BAC level.
NUMBER
OF DRINKS
(as In picture)
100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240
BODY WEIGHT IN POUNDS
DRINKING THAT WILL
IN THE TIME SHOWN
RESULT IN A BAC.-OF .O5%
3 HOURS
2 HOURS
1 HOUR
The law in most U.S. states sets the legal limit at a BAC
of
0.10 percent. In Canada the limit is 0.08 percent, and
in some other countries it’s lower than that. 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 it’s very important to keep in mind that 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 an accident increases
sharply for drivers who have a BAC of
0.05 percent or
above. A driver with a BAC level of 0.06 percent (three
beers
in one hour for a 1 SO-pound or 82 kg person) has
doubled his or her chance of having an accident. At a
BAC level of
0.10 percent, the chance of that driver
having an accident is six times greater; at a
level of 0.15
percent, the chances are twenty-five times greater! And,
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 a higher BAC
might not be able to react quickly enough to avoid the
collision.
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