#tbt: ABCs of BAC from 2000 to present

A survey of American adults in 2000 revealed 78% of the general public did not know how many standard drinks they would have to consume in one hour to reach a blood alcohol concentration level of .08, the illegal level for driving in the US.  Additionally, only 27% of the general public could correctly identify their state’s legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving, and among those who did not know their state’s BAC limit the average response was 0.18, more than double the legal limit.

Responsibility.org, then known as The Century Council, set out on a national tour to educate Americans about how alcohol affects their BAC as well as the legal limit for drinking and driving using a pop-up cyber café and virtual bar.  Did you ever see the Blood Alcohol Educator truck roll into your town?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2012 (latest available data), one person was killed in a drunk driving crash every 51 minutes, and the average BAC among drunk drivers in fatal crashes was 0.19.  Given these alarming statistics it is not surprising to learn in a survey conducted earlier this year a majority of American adults ranked drunk driving as the most serious problem associated with the harmful consumption of alcohol.  Furthermore, 54% of American’s believe the problems associated with the harmful consumption of alcohol lie with themselves, that is, personal responsibility.

Do you know how alcohol affects your BAC level?  What about the impact of food, weight, or gender?  Be responsible and find out at B4Udrink.org.