1997 Buick Regal Owner's Manual - Page 199

Drunken Driving Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a national tragedy. It's the number one contributor to the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims every year. Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs dnve to a vehicle: 0 0 0 0 The obviousway to solve this highway safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and then drive. But what if people do? How much is "too much" the if driver plans to drive? It's 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 Concentration (BAC) someone of who is drinking depends upon four things: 0 Judgment MuscularCoordination Vision Attentiveness. The amount of alcohol consumed The drinker's body weight The amountof food that is consumed before and during drinking The lengthof time it has taken the drinker to consume the alcohol. 0 0 Police records show that almost halfall motor of vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. most cases, In these deaths are the result someone who was drinking of and driving.In recent years, some 17,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use of alcohol, with more than 300,000 people injured. 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's against the law in every state to drink alcohol. U.S. There are good medical, psychological and developmental reasons for these laws. 0 According to the American Medical Association, a 180-lb. (82 kg) person who drinks three 12-ounce (355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a BAC of about0.06 percent. The person would reach the same BAC by drinking three 4-ounce (120 glasses ml) of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1-1/2 ounces (45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka. 4-3