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Blood alcohol content (BAC) or blood alcohol concentration
Calculate
your own BAC score with the kind permission of University of Oklahoma
Police Department this is an excellent guide but must be remembered
it is only a guide Blood
Alcohol Content (BAC) Calculator
Blood alcohol content (BAC) or blood alcohol concentration is the
concentration of alcohol in blood. It is usually measured as mass
per volume. For example, a BAC of 0.02% means 0.2 ‰ (permille) or
0.02 grams of alcohol per 100 grams of individual's blood, or 0.2
grams of alcohol per 1000 grams of blood. Blood alcohol concentration
is measured in so many different units that it can be extremely
confusing. The following formula may be of some help. In the UK,
BAC is reported as milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of
blood. For example, a BAC of 0.08% is legally given as a limit of
80 mg per 100 ml. It is also reported in grams per Litre, which
is an equivalent measurement
The University of Oklahoma Police Department have answered several
of the general misconceptions that people have on how much they
can drink and legally drive. Below is the list they have set out
including questions regarding eating mints before a breath test
and eating certain foods before breath tests. They also have
designed a BAC
test to see how much you would be over the drink driving limit
taking into consideration weight, hight and age.
General Misconceptions about Drink Driving
"If I have too much to drink, I can drink a lot of coffee to sober
up quickly. Right?"
Ha. Tell us another one! Drinking a lot of coffee after drinking
too much alcohol may, however, increase your discomfort through
the need to use the bathroom while being transported to the jail
on DUI charges. Only time reverses impairment.
"Will eating breath mints after drinking fool a police 'breath test'?"
Eating mints will not affect your BAC level since it isn't the smell
of your breath, but the alcohol content, that's measured. Using
breath mints, however, may earn you points with the arresting officer
if you normally have bad breath.
"Well, at least eating breath mints might fool the officer, right?"
Ha. Sure, police are really fooled when they see a combination of
erratic driving behavior and powerfully minty breath. Yep, that
one fools us every time. Get real.
"I've heard preparing yourself by eating certain foods before
an evening of heavy drinking will help keep your sober. Is that
true?"
That story has been around since before your grandparents were born.
The only relation we've seen between what you eat before drinking
and your drunkenness is that the more you drink, the more likely
we are to find what you ate on your shirt, or on the floorboard
of the patrol car.
"Ok, but if I eat a BIG meal before drinking, won't that help keep
me from getting drunk?"
How much you have eaten, and how recently, may have a small effect
on how quickly or slowly the alcohol you consume will enter your
bloodstream — but it won't stop the alcohol from entering. If you
drink too much, you will become intoxicated. There may be, however,
a direct correlation between the size of your meal and how much
of your meal may be found later in patrol cars and jail cells.
"Will splashing cold water on my face or taking a cold shower
help sober me up?"
Splash away! And by all means, take a cold shower. It may make you
cleaner, but it won't sober you up or make you a safe driver. The
deputies at the jail, however, prefer clean drunks and recommend
showering prior to doing anything that will lead to your arrest,
such as driving after you've been drinking.
"Will running around the block a few times sober me up enough
to drive home?"
Exercise won't sober you up any faster, but feel free to run around
the block as many times as you like. The deputies at the jail ask
us to remind you to shower after your long run and before you drive
a car.
"They were serving a spiked punch, but I couldn't even taste
the alcohol in it. I can't be drunk!"
Party-goer, beware. Fruit juices have the ability to mask the taste
of alcohol. A fruit "punch" can contain a substantial amount of
alcohol without the taste of the alcohol being noticed — but it
will make you just as drunk as alcohol which you can taste in another
kind of drink. A mild-tasting cup of punch at a party may contain
more alcohol than any normal drink you would buy at a bar.
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