1998 Chevrolet Corvette Owner's Manual - Page 194

Police records show that almost half of all motor vehicle-related deathsinvolve alcohol. In most cases, these deaths are the resultof someone who was drinking and driving. In recent years, over 17,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use of alcohol, with more than 300,000 people injured. Many adults -- by some estimates, nearly half the adult population -- choose never to drink alcohol, so they never drive after drinking. For persons under 21, it's against the law in every U.S. state to drink alcohol. There are good medical,psychological and developmental reasonsfor these laws. The obviousway to solve this highway safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and then drive. But what if peopledo? How much is "too much" if the h v e r plans to drive? It's a lot less than many might think. Althoughit depends on each person and situation, here is some general information on the problem. The Blood AlcoholConcentration (BAC) of someone who is drinking depends upon four things: 0 0 0 The length of time it has taken the drinker to consume the alcohol. According to the American Medical Association, a 180-lb. (82 kg) person who drinks three 12-ounce (355 ml) bottles of beer inan 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) glasses of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1-1/2 ounces (45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka. The amount of alcohol consumed The drinker's body weight The amount of food that is consumed before and during drinking 4-3