When it comes to drunk driving charges, one thing to keep in mind is your blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Even if your BAC isn’t over the legal limit, you could still be cited for impairment if there is appropriate evidence.
For instance, a court may determine that someone was impaired with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.07% if they caused a serious accident and seemed not to be in control of their vehicle—even though they were not technically over the legal limit of 0.08%. But if they reach or exceed that limit, then the court can presume that they were impaired.
Say that you’ve been out drinking and you’re considering driving home. How fast is your BAC actually going to decline? Some people think they can just have a glass of water or a cup of coffee, and it should drop back into safe levels, but is this actually true?
It takes a lot longer than that
The reality is that your BAC doesn’t drop very fast at all, so it can take a significant amount of time to get back under the legal limit or into a safe range. On average, reports find that it should go down by about 0.015% for every hour after a person consumes their last drink.
For instance, someone with a BAC of 0.09% is over the legal limit. To get all the way back down to zero would take six hours. It’s clear that having a cup of coffee or a glass of water simply isn’t enough. Many people do not sober up until the next day.
Legal defense options
Are you facing drunk driving charges? A conviction could have a major impact on your future, so be sure you know what legal options you have.