1993 Pontiac Bonneville Owner's Manual - Page 152

Drunken Driving Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a national tragedy. It's the number one contributor to the highwizy death toll, claiming thousands of victims every year. Alcohol takes awaythree things that anyone needs to drive a vehicle: Judgment Muscular Coordination Vision Police records show that half all of motor vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol-a driver, a passenger or someone else, suchas a pedestrian, had been drinking. In most cases, these deaths are the result of someone who was drinking and driving. Over 25,000 motor vehicle-related deaths occur each year becauseo€alcohol, and thousands of people areinjured. Just how much alcohol is too much if a person plans to drive? Ideally, one no should drink alcohol and thendrive. But if one does, then what's '900 much"? It can be a lot less than many might think. Although it depends an each person and situation, here is some general information on the problem. The Blood Alcohol Content(BAC) of someone who is drinking depends upon four things: How much alcohol is in the drink. The drinker's body weight. The amount o food that is consumed f before and during drinking. The length of time it has takenthe drinker to consume the alcohol. According tothe American Medical Association, a 18.O-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 thee 4-ounce (120m) glasses l of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1% ounces (45 rnl) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka. It's the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, ifthe 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 0.12percent. A person who consumes food just before or during drinking will have a slightly lower BAC level. 1 1 5