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According to the American Medical
Association, a 180-pound (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
H
ounces
(45
ml)
of
a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka.
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.
Drinking
That
WIN
Resuit
in
a
BAC
of
-05%
in
the
Time
Shown
3
HOURS
2
HOURS
1
HOUR
100
120
140
160
180
200
220
240
BOQY
WEIGHT
IN
POUNDS
rhe 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 180-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.
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. That’s especially