We often hear the terms “BAC”, “Blood Alcohol Content”, or “Blood Alcohol Level” when we read the news or hear criminal defense attorneys talk on TV about DUI arrests or serious car accidents, but what about serious car accidents? what does BAC really mean? The level of alcohol in a person’s body can be measured by a blood or breath test.
Over the years, respiration measurement devices such as the Datamaster have become the most popular choice for law enforcement. A proof of .08, or eight hundredths of a gram or more by weight of alcohol per one hundred milliliters of blood or eight hundredths of a gram or more by weight of alcohol per two hundred and ten liters of breath, is the typical starting threshold for a felony of DUI in most jurisdictions.
The question again is what does .08 mean? To answer this question, we need to take a brief look at how alcohol is absorbed into the body. Alcohol is usually ingested through the mouth. When alcohol is ingested, some of the alcohol is absorbed by the membranes of the mouth; however, most of the alcohol travels down the esophagus and into the stomach. The alcohol is then absorbed in the duodenum or small intestine. Eventually, the alcohol reaches the general circulation. When we feel the effects of alcohol, or feelings of intoxication, it is because alcohol is circulating throughout our body and affecting our brain.
Alcohol is absorbed into the body at approximately 0.02 per drink. A “drink” is defined as one ounce of 80-proof alcohol, a 12-ounce regular beer with about 5 percent alcohol, or four ounces of non-fortified wine. Therefore, it is not surprising that a person begins to feel the effects of alcohol sooner when drinking hard liquor than light beer.
It takes 30 to 60 minutes for alcohol to be fully absorbed after you’ve ingested it, and there are also other factors that affect the rate of alcohol absorption, including the size of a person and whether that person is drinking on a full or empty stomach. So if an average-sized person drinks regular twelve-ounce cans of Bud Light on an empty stomach, we can estimate that if that person drinks three or four beers in a one-hour period, their blood alcohol level will probably be close to of .08 . Now, we must also take into account the fact that the body eliminates alcohol as it is absorbed. That’s why it’s often said that as long as a person stays within one or two regular drinks an hour, their blood alcohol level should stay below .08. That said, even a small amount of alcohol in his system can lead to impairment and slower reflexes, and many car accident injury claims occur because someone was driving while intoxicated. It is always best to avoid getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol.