Buick 2005 Rendezvous Owner's Manual page 278

In recent years, more than 16,000 annual motor
vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the
use of alcohol, with more than 300,000 people injured.
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
4-4
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.