1998 GMC Safari Owner's Manual - Page 188

0.05 percent. Statistics show that the chancebeing in of a collision increases sharply drivers who have a for BAC of 0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of 0.06 percent has doubled his or her chance of having a collision. At a BAC level 0.10 percent, the of chance of this driver having a collision 12 times is greater; at a level 0.15 percent, the chance is of There is a gender difference, too. Women generally have 25 times greater! a lower relative percentage body water than men. of Since alcohol is carried body water, this means that a The body takes about an hour to rid itself alcohol in of the woman generally will reach a higher BAC level than a in one drink. No amount of coffee or number cold of man of her same body weight when each has same the showers will speed that "I'll be careful" isn't the up. number of drinks. right answer. What if there's an emergency, a need to The law in many U.S. states sets the legal limit at a BACtake sudden action, as when a child darts into the street? A person with even a moderate BAC might not be able of 0.10 percent. In a growing number U.S. states, and of to react quickly enough to avoid the collision. throughout Canada,the limit is0.08 percent. In some other countries, it's even lower. BAC limit for all The There's something else about drinking and driving that commercial drivers in the United States is 0.04 percent. many people don't know. Medical research shows that alcohol in a person's system can make crash injuries The BAC will be over percent after three to 0.10 worse, especially injuries to brain, spinal cord or the six drinks (in one hour). course, as we've seen, Of it heart. This means that when anyone who has been depends on how much alcohol is the drinks, and how in drinking -- driver or passenger-- is in a crash, that quickly the person drinks them. person's chanceof being killed or permanently disabled But the ability to drive affected well below a BAC is of is higher than if the person had not been drinking. 0.10 percent. Research shows that driving skills of the 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 above 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 percent. A person who 0.12 consumes foodjust before or during drinking will have a somewhat lower BAC level.