Diet Fitness Health

It’s not a question of whether you are legally intoxicated, it’s a question of whether or not it is safe to drive when you have consumed any amount of alcohol. Research shows that impairment begins long before a person reaches the blood alcohol concentration level necessary to be guilty of drunken driving.

What is the legal limit? In all 50 states, a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08 is considered the legal limit. The consumption of four drinks in a 180 pound man can reach this limit and only 2 drinks for a 120 pound female. Take note that there are many factors that will affect your Blood Alcohol concentration (BAC). Size, gender, physical condition, how much you have eatten, how much sleep you have had, are you taking any medications, and the actual alcohol content of your chosen “drink.”

A “drink” is either one shot of liquor, a five-ounce glass of wine or one beer, all of which contain the same amount of alcohol.

A “drink” is either one shot of liquor, a five-ounce glass of wine or one beer, all of which contain the same amount of alcohol. Not all “drinks” are alike. Be sure you know the alcohol content of the “drink” that you are having.

These changes may be very subtle and barely noticable to the person who has had only one drink, but in an emergency situation while behind the wheel of a vehicle, they could cause the driver to react (or not react) as they would without having had a drink.

.05 BAC Level At the .05 BAC level, people begin to exhibit exaggerated behavior, experience loss of small-muscle control — such as being able to focus their eyes quickly — have impaired judgment, lowered alertness and a release of inhibition. If someone with a BAC level of .05 gets behind the wheel, they would be operating the vehicle with reduce coordination, a futher deminished ability to track moving objects, more difficulty in steering and a markedly reduced response in emergency situations.

.08 BAC Level When someone drinking is approaching the borderline of legal intoxication, studies show that he or she has poor muscle coordination — affecting their balance, speech, vision, reaction time and hearing — find it more difficult to detect danger, and exhibit impaired judgement, self-control, reasoning ability and memory.

If someone with a BAC level of .05 gets behind the wheel, they would be operating the vehicle with a further reduction of coordination. The ability to track moving objects would grow harder and there would be more difficulty in steering. The driver would have a markedly reduced response in emergency situations.

A driver with a BAC of .08 will find it more difficult to concentrate, judge the speed of the vehicle, experience reduced information processing capability and exhibit impaired perception. At a .08 BAC level, drivers are impaired to the point that they are 11 times more likely to have a single-vehicle crash than drivers with no alcohol in their system. But 25 years of studies have shown that some impairment begins for both men and women even after only one drink.

A driver with a BAC of .08 will find it more difficult to concentrate and might even have some short term memory loss. There is difficulty in judging the speed of the vehicle, and the experience of reduced information processing capability. They will exhibit impaired perception. At a .08 BAC level, drivers are so effected that the relative risk of a single- vehicle crash is 11 times more likely than drivers with no alcohol in their body. This risk is 52 tines higher for males! But 25 years of research has shown that some impairment begins for both men and women even after one drink.

For the drinker, the above impairments may be hardly noticeable at the time, but the slow reaction times that they can create could be fatal in a emergency driving situation. No matter the situation, it is not a good idea to drive no matter how much or how little that you have had to drink. Further consideration is alcohol tolerance. Alcohol affects people differently. Some people have a higher response to drinking alcohol than others. Simply put, Those drinkers with a high response to alcohol can experience signs of impairment at the .02 BAC level whereas others do not experience effects until the .05 level.

For all of these statistics, some states have changed their views on what is drunk driving. Drivers can be arrested for being impaired even if their blood alcohol concentration is lower than the legal .08 limit. If a law enforcement officer believes he has probable cause based on the behavior and reactions of the driver they can take the driver into custody. No amount of alcohol can justify the potential of harm to yourself or others and with the possibility of death or a police record, the safest bet is to pass on that drink you have to drive.

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