With holiday season in full swing, friends and family are home for the holidays and many people are out celebrating. Before you wind up getting a DUI, consider what exactly one drink is. All 50 states have now set .08% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) as the legal limit for driving under the influence or driving while impaired (DWI). A blood alcohol content of .04% can result in a DUI or DWI.
One drink equals 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, 8-9 ounces of malt liquor or 1.5 ounces of liquor. The effects after becoming intoxicated may include loss of coordination, impaired judgement, distorted vision and slowed reflexes. People only burn about 0.016% off the BAC each hour. There is no way for a person to sober up more quickly. Drinking coffee, exercising, vomiting or splashing cold water on your face won’t help you sober up faster. BAC is estimated by the number of alcoholic drinks consumed, body weight and whether the person is male or female. A higher BAC results in cognitive impairment and the loss of more motor skills.
So before you go out for “one drink” and get behind the wheel, consider what one drink really is and how it and each one after will affect your drive home. With the average DUI costing about $10,000, risk of death or serious injury, possible jail time, losing your license and a chance of losing your job, it is something to think about before driving home.
