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Your Driving and the Road
...
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In
most
cases, these deaths are the result
of someone who was drinking and
driving. Over
25,000
motor
vehicle-related deaths occur each year
because of alcohol, and thousands of
people are injured.
Just how much alcohol is too much if a
person plans to drive? Ideally,
no
one
should drink alcohol and then drive. But
if one does, then what's "too much"? It
can be 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 Content (BAC) of
someone who is drinking depends upon
four things:
How much alcohol is
in
the drink.
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.
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 1-1/2
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.
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