Breath-Alcohol-Content

DUI Prevention Alcohol Education

First, 0.08% breath-alcohol-content is the legal baseline set by the States to arrest a person who is guilty of DUI regardless if his or her ability to drive is lessened to any appreciable degree (except Utah 0.05% BAC effective 2019). More importantly, 79% of vehicle crashes that result in death or injury involve a driver who is 0.10% BAC or higher.

Breath-Alcohol-Content & Breathalyzers

Any level of alcohol consumption can result in a DUI arrest and law enforcement has the authority to remove anyone from the road who is visibly impaired. There is NO LEGAL Alcohol LIMIT TO DRIVE!

When a person drinks alcohol, it is digested and absorbed into the blood, which carries it through your body and into your brains and lungs. Breath-Alcohol-Content (BAC) measures how much alcohol is in the air you breathe out. Breathalyzers can be a tool for the public to prevent drinking and driving and the justice system to enforce DUI laws.

People Of All Shapes and Sizes: how does it affect BAC?

When all factors are equal,

Gender: a woman will have a higher BAC than a man because alcohol is stored in women’s fat cells longer than men who tend to be leaner.

Size: a person who is physically larger will have a lower BAC than someone smaller because there is more blood in a larger body to dilute the alcohol.

Body Type: a leaner person will have a lower BAC than a fattier person because muscle retains less alcohol than fat leading to less concentration in the blood.

Age: around 65-years-old the body produces less enzymes that metabolize alcohol leading to a higher BAC because more alcohol remains in the blood stream.

It is important to note it takes one hour for the last drink to metabolize and register on a breathalyzer at the highest possible BAC.