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How Many Drinks Will Get You A DUI? (Chart)

If you insist on driving after a few drinks, here's what you should know about how alcohol affects your system and your criminal record.

 
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This chart is provided by Virginia Tech Alcohol Abuse Prevention. This chart considers one drink 1.25 oz. of 80 proof liquor, 12 oz of beer or 5 oz of table wine. http://www.alcohol.vt.edu/
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This chart is provided by Virginia Tech Alcohol Abuse Prevention. This chart considers one drink 1.25 oz. of 80 proof liquor, 12 oz of beer or 5 oz of table wine.
This chart is provided by Virginia Tech Alcohol Abuse Prevention. This chart considers one drink 1.25 oz. of 80 proof liquor, 12 oz of beer or 5 oz of table wine.

Do you know how many drinks you can have before you're in danger of getting a drunken driving violation? 

This year in Kent, there at least one notable car accident caused by drunken driving (see below), and several other people pulled over while driving drunk. As we head into the holiday season, Patch wants you to know when enough is enough.

When police pull drivers over for suspected drunken driving, officers ask them to perform field sobriety tests and to take a breath test to measure Blood Alcohol Content.

A BAC test measures the percentage of alcohol present in a person's bloodstream. Ohio's legal limit is 0.08.

According to the Virginia Tech Alcohol Abuse Prevention website, every 40 minutes, 0.01 percent of alcohol leaves your system. 

The limit for people under 21 is 0.02, said Bath Township Police Chief Michael McNeely. Is it concievable for someone to blow a 0.01 and still be charged?

"Yes," McNeely said. "Any alcohol you consume will get you charged with underaged drinking if you're under age. It's a zero-tolerance policy. Even if we smell beer, you can be charged with underage drinking."

So what's the difference between being charged with a DUI/OVI or underage drinking?

"With an OVI, officers have to show that someone's ability is impaired," McNeely said. "With underage drinking, you have to prove someone has been drinking. You can be charged with both."

Check out the chart in the media portion of this article to see what your limit is. And remember, how you feel also depends on your alcohol tolerance, McNeely said. 

"The only safe driving limit is no alcohol," McNeely said. "If you choose to drink, make sure you have a designated driver."

 

By the Numbers

  • Bath Township Police made 24 DUI arrests this year, said Chief Michael McNeely. Of those, 17 were male and seven were female.
  • The oldest person to receive a DUI was 71.
  • The youngest person to receive a DUI was 21.
  • The highest BAC level was 0.276. The legal limit is 0.08.
  • Most of the higher BAC levels were during rush hour, McNeely said.

Related Articles

Related Topics: OVI

Chris (Kit) Myers

7:41 am on Monday, December 24, 2012

Matt! No response. Hmmm. I guess people don't want to know how many they can drink before they become agents of death and destruction.

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Andy Koch

9:11 am on Monday, December 24, 2012

As a cautionary note, these charts are worthless if you drink anything stronger than a Budweiser or Miller beer. Be very careful if you choose to imbibe winter ales this Christmas. There are several BAC calculators that work pretty well, and nowadays it is great to have these on your phone.

The best decision is just not to drink if you plan on driving, it's not worth the risk of life or dui charges.

Mars

10:25 am on Monday, December 24, 2012

How about just not drinking and driving? Post up for the night and keep your loss of motor functions at home. This post is almost encouragement to drink "only a few" before heading out to the open road. As if driving wasn't dangerous enough, some morons have to add a few beers, glasses of wine or shots to the mix. Unfortunately, those those suffer the, "It can't happen to me," mentality will still drink and drive and put countless other lives at risk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqXdERs-eyE

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