1995 Chevrolet S10 Pickup Owner's Manual - Page 136

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 BACof about 0.06 percent. The person would reach the same BAC by drinking three4-ounce (120 ml) glasses of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1-1/2 ounces (45 ml) of a liquorlike whiskey, gin or vodka. J It's the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if the same person drank three double martinis(3 ounces or90 ml of liquor each)within an hour, the person's BAC would be closeto 0.12 percent. A person who consumes food just before or during drinking have asomewhat lower will BAC level. There is a genderdifference, too. Women generally have a lower relative percentage of body water than men. Since alcohol is carried in body water, this means that a woman generally will reach a higher BAC level than a man of her same body weight when each has the same number of drinks. The law in many U.S. states sets the legal limit at a BAC of 0.10 percent. In a growing number of U.S. states, and throughout Canada, thelimit is 0.08 percent. In some other countriesit's even lower. The BAC limit for all commercial drivers in the U.S. is 0.04 percent. The BACwill be over 0.10 percent after three to six drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we've seen, it dependson how much alcohol isin the drinks, and how quickly theperson drinks them. But the ability to drive is affected wellbelow a BAC of 0.10 percent. Research shows that the drivingskills of many people are impaired at a BAC approaching0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All drivers are impaired at BAC levels above 0.05 percent. Statistics show that the chance of being in a collision increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC of 0.05 percent or above, A driver a BAC level of 0.06 percent with has doubled his or her chance of having a collision. At a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chanceof this driver having a collision is twelve times greater; at a level of 0.15 percent, the chance is twenty-five times greater! 4-3