1993 Oldsmobile Silhouette Owner's Manual - Page 147

Drunken Driving Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a national tragedy. It's the number one contributor to the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims every year. Alcohol takes away three things that anyone needs todrive 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, such as 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 because of alcohol, and thousands of people are injured. Just how much alcohol is too much if a person plans to drive? Ideally, noone should drink alcohol and then drive. But if one does, then what's "too much"? It can be alot less than many might think. Although it depends on 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 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-pound (82 kg) person who drinks three 12-ounce (355 l m) 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(120ml) glasses of wine or three mixed drinksif each had 1% ounces (45ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka. It's 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 slightly lowerBAC level. 145