How BAC Impacts Your Body
.02% According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, blood alcohol concentration (BAC), can be as little as .02 percent before it begins affecting your ability to drive safely. After you’ve had just two alcoholic drinks, you begin to lose judgment capacity and experience declines in performing two tasks at once as well as tracking quick-moving targets.
.05% When BAC is .05 percent (about three alcoholic drinks), your behavior becomes exaggerated (more boisterous, less inhibited), coordination is impaired and you will have difficulty steering (remaining in the center of marked lanes). At this stage, you won’t be able to react quickly enough to avoid sudden emergency situations (sharp curves, debris in roadway, another car heading towards you). Moreover, drivers with a .05 BAC are at a high risk for causing a car accident.
.08% With four alcoholic drinks in your bloodstream, your BAC will generally hover around .08 percent. Your speech, muscle coordination, reaction time, vision and hearing are all poor and you may suffer short-term memory loss. When alcohol significantly interferes with your perception, you can’t judge how fast you’re driving, be aware of what road you’re on or even detect police sirens behind you.
.10% Someone with a BAC of .10 percent and above has had five or more alcohol drinks within four to six hours. Their speech is slurred, they may have difficulty standing and will exhibit a marked inability to stay in one lane when behind the wheel of a vehicle.
BAC is Determined by Weight and Sex
Use these charts to find out how many alcoholic drinks you need to drink to increase BAC, according to your sex and weight.
Men’s BAC Chart after 4 Hours of Drinking:
– by body weight (columns) and # of drinks (rows)
| # of Drinks / Body Weight | 160 lbs | 200 lbs | 240 lbs |
| 2 drinks | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 3 drinks | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 4 drinks | 0.28 | 0.08 | 0.00 |
| 5 drinks | 0.51 | 0.26 | 0.11 |
| 6 drinks | 0.74 | 0.44 | 0.26 |
| 7 drinks | 0.97 | 0.62 | 0.41 |
| 8 drinks | 1.20 | 0.80 | 0.56 |
| 9 drinks | 1.43 | 0.98 | 0.71 |
| 10 drinks | 1.66 | 1.16 | 0.86 |
| 11 drinks | 1.89 | 1.34 | 1.01 |
| 12 drinks | 2.12 | 1.52 | 1.16 |
| 13 drinks | 2.35 | 1.70 | 1.31 |
(Full BAC content chart for men)
Men’s BAC Chart after 4 Hours of Drinking:
– by body weight (columns) and # of drinks (rows)
| # of Drinks / Body Weight | 120 lbs | 160 lbs | 200 lbs |
| 2 drinks | 0.10 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 3 drinks | 0.47 | 0.20 | 0.02 |
| 4 drinks | 0.84 | 0.48 | 0.24 |
| 5 drinks | 1.21 | 0.76 | 0.46 |
| 6 drinks | 1.58 | 1.04 | 0.68 |
| 7 drinks | 1.95 | 1.32 | 0.90 |
| 8 drinks | 2.32 | 1.60 | 1.12 |
| 9 drinks | 2.69 | 1.88 | 1.64 |
| 10 drinks | 3.06 | 2.16 | 1.86 |
| 11 drinks | 3.43 | 2.44 | 1.78 |
| 12 drinks | 3.80 | 2.72 | 2.00 |
| 13 drinks | 4.17 | 3.00 | 2.22 |
What Constitutes a Standard Alcoholic Drink in the U.S.?
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism states that a standard drink is equal to 0.6 ounces (14 grams) of pure alcohol. This amount of alcohol is found in:
- A 12-ounce beer containing five percent alcohol
- An eight ounce bottle of malt liquor (containing seven percent alcohol)
- A five ounce glass wine (containing 12 percent alcohol)
- A 1.5 ounce “shot” of 80-proof liquor or other distilled spirits (containing 40 percent alcohol content)
Massachusetts BAC Laws
If you are suspected of driving drunk in Massachusetts, your BAC will be tested to determine if you are driving under the influence as defined by Massachusetts law. If your BAC is .08 percent or higher, you will be cited for driving while intoxicated. However, drivers who operate commercial vehicles with a BAC of .04 or higher will be cited for DUI. If you are under 21 years old and present a BAC of only .02 percent, you will be arrested for drunk driving.
Penalties for Driving Drunk in Massachusetts
If it is your first offense and you are over 21 years old, you could possibly lose your license for one year, and pay fines as high as $5000. Drivers under 21 arrested for DUI will have to attend Youth Alcohol Programs before being able to reinstate their driver’s license.
A second DUI offense involves having an ignition interlock device installed on your car, license suspension, fines and possible jail time. Drivers arrested three times for DUI will be slapped with a felony charge and spend time in prison.
If you have been the accident victim of a DUI driver, call the law offices of Peter Ventura today at 508-755-7535 to discuss your case with an experienced Worcester personal injury lawyer.
Photo via Wikimedia in public domain
