Question: What does DUI stand for?
Answer: Driving Under the Influence (of alcohol and /or drugs). There many acronyms including: DWI, DUII, DPS, DWAI, BMV, OUI, OWI, OUIL, OVI, OMVI, DUID. Each is defined as the act of operating a vehicle, animal or watercraft impaired by the influence of alcohol or other drugs, either illegal drugs, prescription drugs, or even over the counter medications such as Nyquil or Benadryl, for example,
Q. What does “under the influence” mean?
A. The most common understanding of the term is when an intoxicated person’s judgment and motor skills are impaired or will interfere with the safe and prudent operation of a vehicle. Most states have by legislative fiat defined blood alcohol content, or drug content levels that constitute “intoxication”. Driving under the influence can be determined via a breath test, urine test, or blood test.
Q. What is .08 BAC?
A. In every state the Blood Alcohol Content which determines a DUI is .08%. However, other factors may apply, such as driving with a commercial license, or the infamous ‘zero tolerance’ standard for underage drivers who may be arrested for just having any alcohol on their breath. The American Medical Association says that a person can become impaired when the blood alcohol level hits 0.05%. If a person’s BAC measures 0.08, it means that there are 0.08 grams of alcohol per 100 milliliter (ml) of blood. In fact, a police officer may make a judgment call and arrest anyone for being impaired even if their BAC is lower than .08%.
Q. How much do I need to drink to be legally intoxicated?
A. It is a general rule of thumb that the consumption one standard drink (or one ounce of alcohol per hour) will increase the average person’s BAC to roughly 0.05%. Consequently, two drinks in one hour is enough to put you over the legal limit. However, this is not a really good gauge largely because of variation in physiology and individual tolerance according to weight, gender, and body fat.
Q. What is a ‘breathalyzer’ test?
A. A breathalyzer is a device for estimating blood alcohol content from a breath sample. “Breathalyzer” is a brand name. Other names include, breathalyser, Intoxilyzer, Intoximeter, AlcoScan, Alcotest, AlcoSensor, Alcolizer, and Datamaster.
Because the alcohol concentration in the breath is related to that in the blood, you can figure BAC by measuring alcohol on the breath. The ratio of breath alcohol to blood alcohol is 2,100:1. This means that 2,100 ml of alveolar (lung) air will contain the same amount of alcohol as 1 ml of blood.
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