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.
Theobvious way to eliminate the leading highway safety
problemis for people never to drink alcohol and then
drive.But what if people do? How much is “too much” if
someoneplans to drive? It is a lot less than many might
think.Although it depends on each person and situation,
hereis 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
According to the American Medical Association, a 180lb
(82kg) person who drinks three 12 ounce (355 ml)
bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a BAC
of about 0.06percent. The person would reach the
same BAC by drinking three 4ounce (120 ml) glasses
of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1-1/2ounces
(45ml) of liquors like whiskey, gin, or vodka.
It is the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if
the same person drank three double martinis (3ounces
or 90ml of liquor each) within an hour, the person’s
BAC would be close to 0.12percent. A person
who consumes food just before or during drinking will
have a somewhat lower BAC level.
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