Chevrolet 1995 Lumina Owner's Manual page 131

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
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 when each has the same
number of drinks.
The law in many U.S. states sets the legal limit at a BAC
of 0.10 percent. In a growing number of U.S. states, and
throughout Canada, the limit is 0.08 percent. In some
other countries it's even lower. The BAC limit for all
commercial drivers in the U.S. is 0.04 percent.
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 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 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 twelve times greater; at a level of 0.15 percent,
the chance is twenty-five times greater!
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