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It% the- amount of alcohol that counts For. example, if
the same person drank three double martiriis (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.
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
rneansIthat a
woman gerieitally will reach a higher BAC level t l i a a
man of her s:ame
body weight
when each has the.sa-me
-number
of
drinks.
The law in many U.S. states sets the legal lim.it
at
P
BAC
of 0,l-0 percent. In a growing number
af
U S . stsltes, and
throughout Canada, the limit is 0.08 percent.
In
surne
other countries, if's even lower. The BAC limit for? all
commercial drivers in the United-States
is 0.04
percent.
The BAC will be over
0.1'0 percent after three to six
.drinks (in one hour). Of co.urse, as w e k seen, it
depe.nds on haw muGh alcoho1.k in the
&irk,.
ana-how
quickly the person drinks hem.
But
the ability to drive
i s
affected well below a BAC
of
0.10 percent. Research
shows
that the driving, skills
of
many
peep-le are impaired
at a BAC .approaching
0.05 percent,
and that the effects
are wo1s.e
a f
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 doubledhis or her chance of haying- a
cdolli&on. At a.BAC level of 0...10 percent? the chance of
this drives having
a
collision
is
12 times
greater; at a
level of 0. I5 percent, the chance
is 25
times greater!
4-4
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