BAC & IMPAIRMENT—HOW MUCH CAN YOU DRINK?
Speak with a Birmingham DUI Lawyer
Typically, if a police officer pulls someone over for suspected drunk driving, the officer will determine that the driver is too intoxicated to drive by measuring their blood-alcohol percentage. The current legal limit is. 08% for drivers over 21 years old, which means that any person found with a percentage above this is lawfully determined to be drunk, and thus too impaired to drive.
Law enforcement uses the BAC percentage scale as a standardized way to identify drunk drivers. One of the ways to defend against a DUI charge is by challenging your BAC results. Tidwell Law Group, LLC can help you do just that.
Call our firm today to find out how!
Alcohol's Effects & BAC
Alcohol does impede many of the body’s functions. As the levels of alcohol rise in the system, it begins affecting many cognitive and motor functions, such as coordination and the ability to process information. At the same time, every person’s body processes alcohol at different rates, depending on their weight, age, and gender. Other factors can include how much alcohol was consumed, any medications or additional substances were taken, and the rate that the alcohol was being consumed.
Other factors that can affect your BAC include:
- How much the person has had to eat or drink
- How strong the alcohol was
- Any medications or additional substances that were taken
- The rate that the person was consuming the alcohol
- How much alcohol a person has consumed
When a police officer pulls over a driver, he or she might be asked to submit to a chemical test to measure their BAC. There are two ways to do this. One is the breath test, which measures the amount of alcohol on the breath. This does not mean that this is equal to the amount of alcohol in your blood; it is merely an estimate.
Blood tests, while not as speedy as breath tests, can be more accurate in their measurements; however, the amount of time between the stop and the time that you actually take the blood test can actually throw off the measurement. Both methods present room for error, which our Birmingham DUI attorneys can use to your advantage.
Challenging your BAC can play a pivotal role in accomplishing a positive outcome for your case. Enlist legal assistance from Tidwell Law Group, LLC today! Call or use our online contact form.