Which Factors Contribute to a Higher BAC?
A recent poll by the Texas Medical Center Health Policy Institute suggests that more Texans are in favor of stricter laws for driving while intoxicated than the national average. According to the results:
- 60 percent of Texans support lowering the blood alcohol concentration limit to 0.05, as opposed to 54 percent of national respondents; and
- 48 percent of Texans support lowering the BAC limit to zero, as opposed to 46 percent of national respondents.
Approving a zero-tolerance BAC law is unrealistic, but a 0.05 BAC limit has precedence. Utah is set to enact the country’s first 0.05 BAC limit at the end of the year, which may encourage other states to do the same.
BAC Factors
How much alcohol does it take to reach a 0.05 BAC? That depends on several factors:
- Gender: It takes women fewer drinks than men to have a high BAC because their bodies have a lower water content and fewer stomach enzymes to break down alcohol.
- Body Type: Weighing more will dilute the alcohol in your body, but the effect is greater if that weight is muscle instead of body fat.
- Age: Your body will more quickly become intoxicated as you get older.
- Alcohol Type: Drinks with higher alcohol content and carbonated drinks can cause a higher BAC.
- Food: Eating before you drink will slow the rate that your body absorbs the alcohol.
- Consumption Rate: Your BAC will rise faster if you have several drinks within a short period.
- Body Chemistry: People with a high metabolism will process alcohol more quickly, while other people have a natural intolerance to alcohol.
- Medications: Mixing certain drugs with alcohol can heighten the intoxication effect on your body.
- Emotions: Stress will slow down your body’s alcohol absorption rate, but your BAC could suddenly spike once you calm down.
According to BAC charts, a woman who weighs 100 pounds could have a BAC of 0.05 after drinking 12 ounces of beer or 5 ounces of wine in one hour. Having two drinks in an hour could be enough to reach a 0.05 BAC for any woman weighing 200 pounds or less and any man weighing 160 pounds or less.
Contact a Central Texas DWI Defense Lawyer
Testing above the BAC limit does not guarantee that you will be convicted for DWI. A San Antonio DWI defense attorney at the Law Offices of Sam H. Lock can dispute the results or the legality of the DWI stop. Schedule your consultation by calling 210-226-0965.
Source:
https://www.cleburnetimesreview.com/news/texas-wants-lower-dwi-blood-alcohol-limits/article_c1e8fd90-dee9-11e8-bcea-8797cb1d91e2.html