Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Legal Level in the US
BAC, or what is known as Blood Alcohol Concentration or Blood Alcohol Content, is a measurement of the amount of alcohol in your bloodstream. It is used to define the level of intoxification of alcohol in ones body. Usually, this measurement is relevant for avoidance or determining a person who may be guilty of drinking under the influence of alcohol (DUI). DUI is a serious violation of the law in the U.S. When found guilty, you can be subject to imprisonment and serious fines.
BAC is measured by comparing mass per volume. One example of a BAC is .010 percent. This data means that one tenth of a percent in a person’s blood contains alcohol. Naturally, the impairment of driving due to alcohol varies from person to person. Usually, the person can have low level BAC but can be impaired already compared to a person with high level of BAC but can still drive well. However, the BAC is not a subjective measurement. For most states in the U.S., there is a fixed BAC measurement to determine that the person is in violation of the law even though there was no display of impairment of some sort.
The major cities in the U.S. apply the .08 and above BAC intoxification to determine that a person is guilty of DUI. It is then necessary that to avoid the violation, a person should not drive when his BAC level is within .08 or higher. For most instances, a person can measure his BAC level through estimated mathematical approach. It takes into account the gender, the number of beers consumed (usually in per 12 ounce measurement), hours taken, and the body weight. Traffic enforcers however, use more accurate device known as breathalyzer, which is an approved device to measure that BAC by breath.
Typically, you wouldn’t be caught for DUI unless you are under suspicion. However, there are many ways that traffic enforcers in the U.S. can contact the driver. If you’re drunk, its possible that your BAC will be checked. The situations where you can be caught for drunk driving is as follows:
• Suspicion due to erratic driving and traffic violations.
• The driver has been involved in road accidents and the suspicion is that the driver was under the influence of alcohol. BAC will then be measured to support the suspicion.
• The driver reached a checkpoint in which case, if he is under the influence of alcohol, he may be arrested for violation of the law. Again, in this case a breathalyzer may be used to measure the level of alcohol in the person’s body.
• The police may have received an anonymous report that the driver is driving under the influence of alcohol.
• The police may have stopped the driver for traffic reasons and may have been found out to be DUI.
Most State in the U.S. may measure BAC at .08 to detect that it has violated the law. But even if the driver‘s BAC is below such level and caused accident, he could still be charged for violation. It is not totally dependent on the measurement alone. The purpose for the law is actually to avoid road accidents caused by drunk driving.
