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The Effects of Alcoholism & Driving

Drivers who consume alcohol and get behind the wheel are responsible for approximately 39 percent of traffic fatalities, according to professor David Hanson of the State University of New York. This number is down from 60 percent in the early 1980s.

  1. Blood Alcohol Content

    • Blood alcohol content, or BAC, measures the amount of alcohol in a person's bloodstream by recording the milliliters of ethanol against the milliliters of blood. BAC can be influenced by a person's age, weight, gender and food intake.

    BAC Limits

    • The legal BAC limit varies from country-to-country. In most nations, including the U.S., the legal limit is .08 percent.

    Legal Limit

    • Drivers who have a BAC level of .08 percent pose a serious risk to themselves and the public. In addition to being considered legally drunk, a driver with this level of alcohol in his body experiences a deterioration of reaction and control.

    Severe Cases

    • BAC levels over the legal limit have serious, life-threatening implications. A few key effects on the body include impaired balance and coordination, diminished reflexes, loss of consciousness and even death.

    World Record

    • The drunkest driver ever to be recorded was hospitalized and charged in Oregon with a BAC level of .72 percent, nearly nine times the legal limit. She was found unconscious in her car, which had come to a stop in a snow bank.

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