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 is against the law in every U.S. state to drink alcohol.
There are good medical, psychological, and
developmental reasons for these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and
then drive. But what if people do? How much is “too
much” if someone plans to drive? It is a lot less
than many might think. Although it depends on each
person and situation, here is some general information
on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of someone
who is drinking depends upon four things:
•
The amount of alcohol consumed
•
The drinker’s body weight
•
The amount of food that is consumed before and
during drinking
•
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 in an 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 liquors like whiskey, gin, or vodka.
It is 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 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 percentage of body water
than men. Since alcohol is carried in body water, this
means that a woman generally will reach a higher BAC
level than a man of her same body weight will when
each has the same number of drinks.
4-3
Summary of Contents for 2005 Equinox
Page 5: ...These are some examples of symbols that may be found on the vehicle v ...
Page 6: ... NOTES vi ...
Page 19: ...Put someone on it Get it up to speed Then stop the vehicle The rider does not stop 1 13 ...
Page 68: ... NOTES 1 62 ...
Page 110: ... NOTES 2 42 ...
Page 113: ... NOTES 3 3 ...
Page 114: ...Instrument Panel Overview 3 4 ...
Page 234: ... NOTES 4 44 ...
Page 246: ...Engine Compartment Overview When you open the hood you will see the following 5 12 ...
Page 324: ... NOTES 5 90 ...