For those who drink and need a law on the books to determine whether they are "capable" of driving home and making it, read on.....
This was taken from a blog website in Canada where some provinces have lowered the bac to .05 but with less harsh consequences when caught doing so....
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As you all know, I've been pretty critical of BC's new DUI laws, with penalties starting at the warn limits of .05, so I decided to buy a breathalyzer, ask a couple of friends to join in a drinking experiment, found a DD and went off to drink and test.
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A few days before we started, I wanted to see how repeatable the results were. The manual stated that you should wait 20 mins before blowing, and sure enough, after 1 sip and drinking right away, I registered a 0.150. After 10 mins, it dropped back down to a "proper" 0.01. We found that if we drank water or ate a clean ice cube after a sip, we can get consistent results. This was important, as we did not want to wait 10 mins per test throughout the night, which lasted around 6 hours.
There were 4 of us that went through the experiment (with a 5th surprise test in the morning).
Subject #1 was myself. 6'2", 190lbs, and a regular drinker. I can handle my alcohol pretty good.
Subject #2 was Mibz, 180lbs.
Subject #3 was kenny, 180lbs.
Subject #4 was my assistant, she's 90lbs.
Well, let's start off with my assistant. She started off with a Smirnoff Ice, and after that was done, immediately registered a 0.06, which qualifies for a warn. When asked if she could drive, she said there was no way. After her second drink (another Smirnoff Ice), she registered a whopping 0.13 and was walking into walls. By her 3rd drink which she couldn't complete, she blew a 0.16. That's 2 and a quarter drinks.
kenny's an occasional drinker and can handle his alcohol pretty well. He went through the night with about 10 drinks (vodka highballs) and registered a high of 0.02. At the highest BAC point, he questioned his ability to drive, thought he would definately blow a warning, and was surprised he was able to legally operate a motor vehicle.
Mibz had about 8 drinks (vodka highballs) over the course of the night, and at the point he felt that he couldn't drive, he blew a 0.02. His highest point was a 0.04, so in the eyes of the law, he was able to drive.
I had about 20 or 22 drinks (vodka highballs) over the course of the evening, and when I first started feeling tipsy, I blew a 0.01. At my peak, where I had about 6 or 7 drinks in an hour, I felt that it was definately past the 0.08 legal limit and would not have driven a car. I blew a 0.05, barely registering a warn. An hour after I stopped drinking, I dropped down to a 0.03.
Finally, the surprise subject, who had roughly 15 drinks, stopped drinking at 1am, puked throughout the night and woke up at 1am to try the breathalyzer out. The results? 0.02, a full 12 hours after drinking. He's a big guy, 220-230lbs.
Conclusion? Everyone processes alcohol at different rates, and the legal guide of how many drinks you should have per hour is in no way accurate. Following the guide, I would've been completely sober, and my assistant would've been thrown in jail. The BAC level corresponds fairly well to how "buzzed" we felt, and is a fairly good representation of a person's ability to operate a motor vehicle.
With that being said, I now believe the 0.08 legal limit is way too high, and agree with the more agressive targets of 0.05 for a mandatory 24 hour suspension. In fact, nobody should be driving past that point. I felt my reaction time was definately diminished at 0.05 and would make the difference between a close call and an accident in an emergency maneuver scenario.
