2003 Oldsmobile Bravada Owner's Manual - Page 208

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 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's 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: e 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. @ 1 According to the American Medical Association, a 180 Ib (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 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 somewhat lower BAC level. 4-3