Is it safe to operate a vehicle with any amount of alcohol in your system even if below the legal limits? No matter how small the amount of alcohol consumed, research has shown there are effects on the body. These effects become apparent well before the person reaches the concentration in the blood alcohol level to be found guilty of driving drunk.



The Legal Limit In all 50 states, the legal limit for drunk driving is a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08. A 120-pound woman can reach a .08 BAC level after only two drinks and a 180-pound man can be at .08 after only four drinks.

A "drink" consists of either one shot of liquor, a five-ounce glass of wine or one beer. All of these contain the same amount of alcohol.

A "drink" is either one shot of liquor, a five-ounce glass of wine or one beer, all of which contain the same amount of alcohol. Not all "drinks" are alike. Be sure you know the alcohol content of the "drink" that you are having.

But tests have also shown that drivers at the .02 level experience a decline in visual response affecting their ability to track a moving object, and experience a decline in the ability to perform two tasks at the same time. This level also might also experience lightheadedness. These changes may be very subtle and barely noticable to the person who has had only one drink, but in an emergency situation while behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, they could cause the driver to react (or not react) as they would without having had a drink.

These changes may be very subtle and barely noticable to the person who has had only one drink, but in an emergency situation while behind the wheel of a vehicle, they could cause the driver to react (or not react) as they would without having had a drink.

.08 BAC Level When someone drinking is approaching the borderline of legal intoxication, studies show that he or she has poor muscle coordination -- affecting their balance, speech, vision, reaction time and hearing -- find it more difficult to detect danger, and exhibit impaired judgement, self-control, reasoning ability and memory.

If someone with a BAC level of .05 gets behind the wheel, they would be operating the vehicle with a further reduction of coordination. The ability to track moving objects would grow harder and there would be more difficulty in steering. The driver would have a markedly reduced response in emergency situations.

For the person who is drinking, the above impairments may be hardly noticeable at the time, but the slow reaction times that they can produce could prove fatal in a emergency driving situation.

A driver with a BAC of .08 will find it more difficult to concentrate and might even have some short term memory loss. There is difficulty in judging the speed of the vehicle, and the experience of reduced information processing capability. They will exhibit impaired perception. At a .08 BAC level, drivers are so effected that the relative risk of a single- vehicle crash is 11 times more likely than drivers with no alcohol in their body. This risk is 52 tines higher for males! But 25 years of research has shown that some impairment begins for both men and women even after one drink.

There is another consideration: Alcohol affects people differently. Some people have a higher response to drinking alcohol than others. In other words, people with a high response to alcohol can experience signs of impairment at the .02 BAC level that others do not experience until the .05 level.

Since this tolerence can vary so widely form person to person, in many states a driver can be arrested for impared driving even if their blood alcohol cocentration is below what is considered legal. Using the basis of reaction of the driver and their behavior, law enforcement can make the decision if he believes there is probable cause. With all of the risks associated with getting behind the wheel after having even just one drink, the choice to not have that drink is obviously the right one to make.