How is Blood Alcohol Content Level (BAC) Calculated

A person’s blood alcohol content level, or BAC, is essential to know. Drinking and driving comes with hefty penalties, find more information here about how blood alcohol content is calculated, about how to find more information about the limits in your area, and what the consequences for being caught drunk driving are.

Drunk driving can result in accidents that cause death, immense amounts of damage, massive expenses, and more.

How Is BAC Calculated?

First, there are many tools to help people determine what their blood alcohol content is. Many responsible adults use these tools to determine if they are able to safely drive back home and follow the guidelines of the law when doing so. Blood-alcohol content, also called BAC, is a number used to determine the level of intoxication a person has in their body. With low BAC levels, people can see effects on their behavior and coordination in minor ways. As the blood alcohol content a person has increases, more serious effects happen to their brain functions and her body.

Knowing what your blood-alcohol content is helps make it easier for you to stop drinking in enough time to be able to safely and legally drive home. This helps prevent harmful consequences that can have drastic impacts on life for a very long time.

Five key factors are used to calculate blood alcohol. Each person is affected by alcohol differently, so knowing information about these five things can help you determine what your BAC is. The number of drinks a person has had impacts the amount of alcohol that is in their body. One drink will contain about 0.5 ounces of alcohol.

The time in between each of these drinks also has an impact on BAC. People who drink more quickly will find the alcohol affecting their system at a faster rate. People who pause between drinks and spread them out can keep their blood alcohol content lower.

Also, a person’s gender affects the amount of body fat they have per pound of weight on average. It also affects their water containment. The gender the person has effects their blood-alcohol content and is taken into consideration when this is calculated.

Also, a person’s body weight is essential to consider. People who weigh more have a lower concentration of alcohol in them in comparison to a person who has a lower weight and the same amount of alcohol in their system. Lastly, whether or not a person has eaten before they started drinking can affect their BAC. Eating that is done within two hours of drinking can lead to slower absorption of alcohol overall.

How Will BAC Impact Your Body?

There are many ways the blood-alcohol content a person has can see their body affected. Some people see effects on their coordination at lower amounts of alcohol overall, and minor changes in mood can also be common. The more alcohol a person has in a shorter period, the less time it will take for them to be impaired. Knowing when to stop is important, as it can help you avoid some of the negative consequences that come from drinking. People who consume too much alcohol and are not able to control their drinking can experience serious intoxication, organ damage, body system shutdowns, and in some cases, death.

BAC Levels Explained

When a person knows their blood-alcohol levels, they can determine how they will be affected by certain amounts of alcohol.

At a .02 BAC, a person will generally feel relaxed and, in some cases, feel heightened senses and a heightened amount of energy. Positive energy is often something a person expresses that they have at this blood alcohol level.

When a person reaches .05 BAC, the temperature of the body can start to feel like it is getting higher. Relaxation is often experienced for people, and they can be feeling pretty good at this point. In most cases, this is where a person should slow down on drinks or stop drinking in general. People who continue drinking may quickly find themselves at the .08 BAC level. Many states have a legal limit for blood-alcohol content set at .08 BAC.

Knowing your limits when drinking alcohol is essential, and knowing that DUI arrests can have a significant negative impact on people’s lives is vital. Many people feel that they are still good to drive when they are at a .08 BAC, but people driving at this alcohol level have been found to have up to 10% or more slower reaction time, lessened motor skill ability, and in some cases, they will have difficulty walking, standing, and driving. Being a danger to people on the road, the penalties, fines, and fees for driving at this alcohol content can be severe.

At a 0.1 BAC, a person’s intoxication will generally be apparent. People at this BAC often have difficulty walking, standing, and doing other motor activities. The judgment a person has at this intoxication level is often largely reduced, one of many reasons people are riskier behind the wheel at this blood-alcohol level. Some people do become more belligerent, loud, or aggressive at this level as well.

At higher levels than this, people can experience sickness, majorly reduced motor skills, and negative feelings. As the content level rises, they may vomit, experience blackouts, and their physical pain levels are generally reduced. At higher levels, the alcohol in a person’s system becomes highly dangerous and can have significant negative impacts on their body.

DUI Consequences

There many consequences to driving illegally while intoxicated, which results in a DUI. One of the worst things that can happen is the loss of life. This can have major effects on your loved ones, your family, or the family of others. Tickets, fines, fees, and other penalties are given for people with DUIs, who can see jail time or their driver’s license suspended. Also, the financial impact of being responsible for an accident that causes loss of life, damage, or massive medical bills, can be significant.

For people who have gotten a DUI and are looking for auto insurance, they will likely be paying much higher rates. At General, you can get quotes for high-risk auto insurance in your area from several companies. Shopping around is the best way to save money on a policy, and General is here for the assist.