BAC Levels and Their Meaning

BAC Levels and Their Meaning

The legitimate Blood Alcohol Content level for driving is.08% BAC in some states and.10% BAC in others. This is the level at which a driver will be charged for DUI, which refers to driving under influence of drugs or alcohol. Approximately, two drinks are enough for a 120-pound woman to reach.08 BAC and four drinks for a 180-pound man to reach the same level. One drink here, is equivalent to either one beer, one liquor shot, or five ounces of wine, each of which contain the same amount of alcohol. However, studies have shown that impairment in judgment and motor abilities begins at a much lower level, which is.02% BAC.

Research shows that at.02% BAC level, a person feels good and quite relaxed. However, it causes some loss of judgment, and reduces visual functions which may impair the ability of the driver to track a moving object. A decline in the driver's ability to multi-task may also occur. These changes are hardly noticeable and would not normally hamper with regular driving, but when faced with an emergency situation, the driver's reaction may be as quick as it would have been without having had a drink.

At.05% BAC level, however, the person starts to lose small-muscle control such as the ability to quickly move your eyes, along with further losses in judgment and the ability to track a moving object. They can be expected to exhibit exaggerated behavior, and their level of alertness may lower considerably. Getting behind the wheel with such obvious lack of coordination is not safe, and can be fatal.

At.08% BAC level, which is mostly considered the legal limit of intoxication while driving, muscle coordination becomes very poor. This impairs the drinker's judgment, memory, perception, reasoning ability and most of all, his self-control. It also affects their balance, vision, speech, hearing and reaction time. It becomes much more difficult to concentrate at this level and therefore, it becomes harder to judge the speed of the vehicle and causes a lack in the drunk driver's ability to process information.

At.10% BAC level, which is considered the legal limit in some states while others consider it a level beyond the legal limit, the driver experiences a significant impairment in his control of the vehicle, attention to the task, and both visual and auditory information processing. Speech becomes slurred and coordination becomes poor. Thinking is slowed, and muscle control is much reduced, causing slower and much more delayed reactions. There's a major loss in balance too, and being behind the wheel in this condition increases the chances of crashing by 11 times as compared to driving without intoxication.

To conclude, it isn't about how much you've had to drink; if you've been drinking at all, just do not get behind the wheel.