Driving under the influence (DUI) is the most commonly committed criminal offense in the U.S. Every day, 300,000 people operate a vehicle while drunk. Maybe this is why police and court officers use different terms to describe this offense. Our infographic shows the most common ones.
When we think about impaired driving, we imagine a pretty drunk person. However, a driver can be charged with DUI when their blood alcohol content (BAC) exceeds the legal limit which is 0.08% or higher. It is believed that having one drink within an hour helps to maintain a safe BAC limit. A standard drink contains 0.6 ounces (14.0 grams or 1.2 tablespoons) of pure alcohol.
Note that individuals with a higher tolerance to alcohol may not feel themselves drunk despite having a higher BAC. This is especially common among heavy drinkers and alcoholics.
AddictionResource authors say it’s best to avoid consuming alcohol at all before getting behind the wheel. It has been proven that drivers at as low as 0.02% BAC level have worse visual functions (ability to track a moving object) and decreased ability to execute two tasks at the same time.
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