1998 GMC Savana Van Owner's Manual - Page 168

I I 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 agrowing number of U.S. states, and throughout Canada, the limit is 0.08 percent. In some other countries, it's even lower. The BAC limit for all commercial drivers in the UnitedStates is 0.04 percent. 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 in the drinks, and how quickly the person drinks them. But the abilityto drive is affected well below a BAC of 0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills of many people are impaired at a BAC approaching 0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All drivers are impaired at BAClevels above 0.05 percent. Statistics show that the chance of being in acollision increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC of 0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of 0.06 percent has doubledhis or her chance of having a collision. At a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chance of this driver having acollision is 12 times greater; at a level of 0.15 percent, the chance is 25 times greater! The body takes aboutan hour to rid itself of the alcohol in one drink. No amount of coffeeor number of cold showers will speed that up."I'll be careful" isn't the It's the amountof 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 somewhat lower BAC level. There is a gender difference, too. Women generally have a lower relative percentageof body water thanmen. Since alcohol is carried inbody water, this means that a woman generally will reach a higher BAC level than a 4-4