1994 Chevrolet Cavalier Owner's Manual - Page 110

Drinking That WN Resuit in a I BAC of -05% in the Time Shown 3 HOURS 2 HOURS 1 HOUR 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) glassesof wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1H ounces (45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin vodka. or 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 lowerBAC level. 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 BOQYWEIGHT IN POUNDS rhe law in most U.S. states sets the legal limitat a BAC of 0.10 percent. In Canada the limit is 0.08 percent, and in some other countries it's lower than that. The BAC will be over0.10 percent after three to six drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we've seen, it depends on how much alcohol is the drinks, and in how quicklythe person drinks them. But it's very important to keep in mind that theability to drive is affected well below a BAC of 0.10 percent. Research shows that thedriving skillsof many people are impaired at a BAC approaching 0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All drivers are impaired at BAC levels above0.05 percent. Statistics show that thechance of being inan accident increases sharply for drivers who have aBAC of 0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of 0.06 percent (three beers in one hour for a 180-pound or 82 kg person) has doubled his or her chance of having an accident. At a BAC level of0.10 percent, the chance of that driver having an accident is six times greater; at a level of 0.15 percent, the chances are twenty-five times greater! And, the body takes about anhour to rid itself of the alcohol in one drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold showers will speed that up. "I'll becareful" isn't the right answer. to What if there's an emergency, a need take sudden action, as when a child darts into the street? A person with a higher BAC might not be able to react quickly enough to avoid the collision. There's something else about drinking and driving that many people don't know. Medical research shows that alcohol in a person's system can make crash injuries worse. That's especially