Blood
Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Affect on Motor Skills
- At .020 light to moderate
drinkers begin to feel some effects.
- At .040 most people begin to
feel relaxed.
- At .060 judgment is somewhat
impaired, people are less able to make rational decisions
about their capabilities (eg. driving).
- At .080 there is a definite
impairment of muscle coordination and driving skills; this is
legal level for intoxication in some states.
- At .10 there is a clear
deterioration of reaction time and control; this is
legally drunk in most states.
- At .120 vomiting usually occurs.
Unless this level is reached slowly or a person has developed a
tolerance to alcohol.
- At .150 balance and movement are
impaired. This blood-alcohol level means the equivalent of 1/2 pint of
whiskey is circulating in the blood stream.
- At .300 many people lose
consciousness.
- At .400 most people lose
consciousness; some die.
- At .450 breathing stops; this is
a fatal dose for most people
The following was shamelessly stolen
from the website of the University of Oklahoma Police Department located
at
http://www.ou.edu/oupd/bac.htm
It appears without alterations.
At his time it is not
used with their permission and they do not indorse this website.
The following information is provided
as it is interesting, insightful and humorous.
Disclaimer: This is in no way
purported to be a guideline for how much you can drink and still drive or
avoid being arrested! The best policy is don't drink and drive.
Period.
"If I have
too much to drink, I can drink a lot of coffee to sober up quickly.
Right?"
Ha. Tell us another one! Drinking a lot
of coffee after drinking too much alcohol may, however, increase your
discomfort through the need to use the bathroom while being transported to
the jail on DUI charges. Only time reverses impairment.
"Will eating breath mints after drinking
fool a police 'breath test'?"
Eating mints will not affect your BAC level
since it isn't the smell of your breath, but the alcohol content, that's
measured. Using breath mints, however, may earn you points with the
arresting officer if you normally have bad breath.
"Well, at least eating breath mints might
fool the officer, right?"
Ha. Sure, police are really fooled when they
see a combination of erratic driving behavior and powerfully minty breath.
Yep, that one fools us every time. Get real.
"I've heard preparing yourself by eating
certain foods before an evening of heavy drinking will help keep your
sober. Is that true?"
That story has been around since before your
grandparents were born. The only relation we've seen between what you eat
before drinking and your drunkenness is that the more you drink, the more
likely we are to find what you ate on your shirt, or on the floorboard of
the patrol car.
"Ok, but if I eat a BIG meal before drinking,
won't that help keep me from getting drunk?"
How much you have eaten, and how recently,
may have a small effect on how quickly or slowly the alcohol you consume
will enter your bloodstream — but it won't stop the alcohol from entering.
If you drink too much, you will become intoxicated. There may be, however,
a direct correlation between the size of your meal and how much of your
meal may be found later in patrol cars and jail cells.
"Will splashing cold water on my face or taking a
cold shower help sober me up?"
Splash away! And by all means, take a cold
shower. It may make you cleaner, but it won't sober you up or make you a
safe driver. The deputies at the jail, however, prefer clean drunks and
recommend showering prior to doing anything that will lead to your arrest,
such as driving after you've been drinking.
"Will running around the block a few times
sober me up enough to drive home?"
Exercise won't sober you up any faster, but
feel free to run around the block as many times as you like. The deputies
at the jail ask us to remind you to shower after your long run and before
you drive a car.
"They were serving a spiked punch, but I
couldn't even taste the alcohol in it. I can't be drunk!"
Party-goer, beware. Fruit juices have the
ability to mask the taste of alcohol. A fruit "punch" can contain a
substantial amount of alcohol without the taste of the alcohol being
noticed — but it will make you just as drunk as alcohol which you can
taste in another kind of drink. A mild-tasting cup of punch at a party may
contain more alcohol than any normal drink you would buy at a bar.
Nothing sobers up a drinker except
time.
Here are two sex-weighted charts for an alternate method of calculating an
approximate BAC level...
ALCOHOL
IMPAIRMENT CHART
MALES
|
APPROXIMATE BLOOD ALCOHOL PERCENTAGE
|
|
DRINKS* |
BODY WEIGHT IN POUNDS
|
EFFECT ON PERSON
|
| |
100 |
120 |
140 |
160 |
180 |
200 |
220 |
240 |
|
|
0
|
.00 |
.00 |
.00 |
.00 |
.00 |
.00 |
.00 |
.00 |
ONLY SAFE DRIVING LIMIT
|
|
1
|
.04 |
.03 |
.03 |
.02 |
.02 |
.02 |
.02 |
.02 |
IMPAIRMENT
BEGINS.
|
|
2
|
.08 |
.06 |
.05 |
.05 |
.04 |
.04 |
.03 |
.03 |
|
3
|
.11 |
.09 |
.08 |
.07 |
.06 |
.06 |
.05 |
.05 |
DRIVING SKILLS
SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED.
** CRIMINAL PENALTIES IN MOST STATES
|
|
4
|
.15 |
.12 |
.11 |
.09 |
.08 |
.08 |
.07 |
.06 |
|
5
|
.19 |
.16 |
.13 |
.12 |
.11 |
.09 |
.09 |
.08 |
|
6
|
.23 |
.19 |
.16 |
.14 |
.13 |
.11 |
.10 |
.09 |
|
7
|
.26 |
.22 |
.19 |
.16 |
.15 |
.13 |
.12 |
.11 |
LEGALLY
INTOXICATED.
CRIMINAL PENALTIES
IN ALL STATES
|
|
8
|
.30 |
.25 |
.21 |
.19 |
.17 |
.15 |
.14 |
.13 |
|
9
|
.34 |
.28 |
.24 |
.21 |
.19 |
.17 |
.15 |
.14 |
|
10
|
.38 |
.31 |
.27 |
.23 |
.21 |
.19 |
.17 |
.16 |
Subtract .01% for
each 40 minutes of drinking.
* One drink is equal to 1¼ oz. of 80-proof liquor, 12 oz. of beer, or 4
oz. of table wine.
**45 states have a
.08 BAC per se law
—AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CT, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD,
ME, MI, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NH, NM, NC, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD,
TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WI and WY [and D.C.] (Updated: 11/20/03)
DON'T
DRINK AND DRIVE!!
ALCOHOL
IMPAIRMENT CHART
FEMALES
|
APPROXIMATE BLOOD ALCOHOL PERCENTAGE
|
|
DRINKS* |
BODY WEIGHT IN POUNDS
|
EFFECT ON PERSON
|
| |
90 |
100 |
120 |
140 |
160 |
180 |
200 |
220 |
240 |
|
|
0
|
.00 |
.00 |
.00 |
.00 |
.00 |
.00 |
.00 |
.00 |
.00 |
ONLY SAFE DRIVING
LIMIT
|
|
1
|
.05 |
.05 |
.04 |
.03 |
.03 |
.03 |
.02 |
.02 |
.02 |
IMPAIRMENT
BEGINS.
|
|
2
|
.10 |
.09 |
.08 |
.07 |
.06 |
.05 |
.05 |
.04 |
.04 |
DRIVING SKILLS
SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED.
** CRIMINAL PENALTIES IN MOST STATES
|
|
3
|
.15 |
.14 |
.11 |
.11 |
.09 |
.08 |
.07 |
.06 |
.06 |
|
4
|
.20 |
.18 |
.15 |
.13 |
.11 |
.10 |
.09 |
.08 |
.08 |
|
5
|
.25 |
.23 |
.19 |
.16 |
.14 |
.13 |
.11 |
.10 |
.09 |
|
6
|
.30 |
.27 |
.23 |
.19 |
.17 |
.15 |
.14 |
.12 |
.11 |
LEGALLY
INTOXICATED.
CRIMINAL PENALTIES IN ALL STATES
|
|
7
|
.35 |
.32 |
.27 |
.23 |
.20 |
.18 |
.16 |
.14 |
.13 |
|
8
|
.40 |
.36 |
.30 |
.26 |
.23 |
.20 |
.18 |
.17 |
.15 |
|
9
|
.45 |
.41 |
.34 |
.29 |
.26 |
.23 |
.20 |
.19 |
.17 |
|
10
|
.51 |
.45 |
.38 |
.32 |
.28 |
.25 |
.23 |
.21 |
.19 |
Subtract .01% for each 40 minutes of drinking.
* One drink is equal to 1¼ oz. of 80-proof liquor, 12 oz. of beer, or 4
oz. of table wine.
**45 states have a
.08 BAC per se law
—AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CT, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD,
ME, MI, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NH, NM, NC, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD,
TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WI and WY [and D.C.] (Updated: 11/20/03)
DON'T
DRINK AND DRIVE!!
 Click
HERE for a
printable copy of the two
Alcohol Impairment Charts (above) in Adobe .PDF format.
(Click
here to download free Acrobat Reader software direct from Adobe.
The same disclaimers
apply to these charts (and the printable .PDF chart versions) as to
the "BAC Calculator" at
the top of this page. Click
HERE to jump back up
and read the disclaimers.
EFFECTS
OF ALCOHOL AT SPECIFIC BAC LEVELS
The effects of alcohol intoxication are greatly
influenced by individual variations; some users may become intoxicated at
a much lower BAC level than is indicated (below)...
0.02 —
0.03 BAC: No loss of coordination, slight euphoria and loss of
shyness. Depressant effects are not apparent. Mildly relaxed and maybe a
little lightheaded.
0.04 —
0.06 BAC: Feeling of well-being, relaxation, lower inhibitions,
sensation of warmth. Euphoria. Some minor impairment of reasoning and
memory, lowering of caution. Your behavior may become exaggerated and
emotions intensified (Good emotions are better, bad emotions are worse)
0.07 —
0.09 BAC: Slight impairment of balance, speech, vision,
reaction time, and hearing. Euphoria. Judgment and self-control are
reduced, and caution, reason and memory are impaired (in some*
states .08 is legally impaired and it is illegal to drive at this level).
You will probably believe that you are functioning better than you really
are. ( * —As of 11/20/2003, 45 states had passed
.08 BAC Per Se Laws.)
0.10 —
0.125 BAC: Significant impairment of motor coordination and
loss of good judgment. Speech may be slurred; balance, vision, reaction
time and hearing will be impaired. Euphoria. It is illegal to operate a
motor vehicle at this level of intoxication in all states.
0.13 —
0.15 BAC: Gross motor impairment and lack of physical control.
Blurred vision and major loss of balance. Euphoria is reduced and
dysphoria* is beginning to appear. Judgment
and perception are severely impaired.
( * —Dysphoria: An emotional state of
anxiety, depression, or unease.)
0.16 —
0.19 BAC: Dysphoria predominates, nausea may appear. The
drinker has the appearance of a "sloppy drunk."
0.20
BAC: Feeling dazed/confused or otherwise disoriented. May need
help to stand/walk. If you injure yourself you may not feel the pain. Some
people have nausea and vomiting at this level. The gag reflex is impaired
and you can choke if you do vomit. Blackouts are likely at this level so
you may not remember what has happened.
0.25
BAC: All mental, physical and sensory functions are severely
impaired. Increased risk of asphyxiation from choking on vomit and of
seriously injuring yourself by falls or other accidents.
0.30
BAC: STUPOR. You have little comprehension of where you are.
You may pass out suddenly and be difficult to awaken.
0.35
BAC: Coma is possible. This is the level of surgical
anesthesia.
0.40
BAC and up: Onset of coma, and possible death due to
respiratory arrest.
FACTOID: Unbelted
occupants account for 84% of impaired driving fatalities in Oklahoma
(and 84% of impaired driving fatalities, nationwide). Fasten those
seat belts! (NHTSA
statistics)
Click
HERE for a printable (.PDF) version of this poster from the
NHTSA.
Get The Keys:
How You Can Intervene
The
U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) and The Advertising Council's Innocent Victims
public service campaign emphasizes the need to intervene and get the
keys away from someone about to drive drunk.
Here are some helpful tips and advice from focus group research on how
people can get the keys away from a drunk driver:
|
1. |
If
it is a close friend, try and use a soft, calm approach at first.
Suggest to them that they’ve had too much to drink and it would be
better if someone else drove or if they took a cab.
|
|
2. |
Be
calm. Joke about it. Make light of it.
|
|
3. |
Try to make it sound like you are doing them a favor.
|
|
|
4. |
If
it is somebody you don’t know well, speak to their friends and
have them make an attempt to persuade them to hand over the keys.
Usually they will listen.
|
|
5. |
If
it’s a good friend, spouse, or significant other, tell them that
if they insist on driving, you are not going with them. Suggest
that you will call someone else for a ride, take a cab, or walk.
|
|
6. |
Locate their keys while they are preoccupied and take them away.
Most likely, they will think they’ve lost them and will be forced
to find another mode of transportation.
|
|
7. |
If
possible, avoid embarrassing the person or being confrontational,
particularly when dealing with men. This makes them appear
vulnerable to alcohol and its effects.
|
Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk.
Pass
It On.
|
|
