How quickly blood alcohol level rises depends on many factors
There are many factors that can affect how quickly a person’s BAC level rises, like age, weight and gender.
When drivers in Massachusetts operate a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration level at or above 0.08, they could be found guilty of drunk driving, states the Governors Highway Safety Association. If a law enforcement official suspects a person is operating a vehicle above this legal limit, he or she may perform a blood, breath or urine test to determine the driver’s blood alcohol content level.
Factors that can impact BAC
Although it is illegal for drivers to operate a vehicle with a BAC level of 0.08 or higher, many different factors can affect how quickly a person’s BAC level rises after consuming alcohol. These factors include some of the following:
- Weight-The more a person weighs, the more water is present in his or her body. Since water dilutes alcohol, a person who weighs more than another person will have a lower BAC level after the same amount of alcohol is consumed.
- Gender-Generally speaking, there are more fat cells in the bodies of women than in the bodies of men. Women tend to retain more alcohol in their bloodstream than men since alcohol cannot travel as easily into fat cells as other cells.
- How many drinks per hour-As a person increases the number of alcoholic beverages he or she consumes, his or her BAC level will steadily go up.
- Age-A person who is younger than another person will have a higher BAC level after drinking the same amount of alcohol.
Food consumption can also affect how quickly a person’s BAC level rises. This is because food in the stomach can absorb a certain amount of alcohol to the point where drinking on an empty stomach will result in a higher BAC level than if alcohol was consumed on a full stomach.
The effect of a DUI
Those who are pulled over for drinking and driving and arrested for a DUI face a number of different consequences. For example, a person convicted of drinking and driving may be required to pay a heavy fine, spend time in jail and use an ignition interlock device in his or her vehicle.
Since the consequences of a DUI conviction can be so severe, many drivers are worried about their social and economic circumstances after getting pulled over for drinking and driving in Massachusetts. For this reason, drivers facing DUI charges should reach out to an attorney who can help them ensure their legal rights are protected.
