Understanding Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)

Your blood alcohol content (BAC) is based on a variety of factors and is used in order to determine the amount of alcohol in your body. Factors that influence a person’s blood alcohol content include his or her:

• Biological sex—male or female
• Metabolic rate—the rate at which the body burns off calories
• Current medications
• Health conditions—such as diabetes
• Frequency of alcohol consumption—how quickly and how often a person consumed their drinks
• Food in the stomach—the size of the last meal and when it was eaten

Before hitting the road after a night out, consider checking a BAC chart to estimate if you are under the legal limit. No blood alcohol estimation formula or chart is completely accurate because of the variety of factors that play into burning off alcohol in the metabolism of different people. However, a chart can be a helpful tool to assist you in making smart driving decisions.

Since some of these factors can’t be measured directly in all situations, many tests to measure blood alcohol content rely on estimations to get a number that is close to accurate. Tests used to measure BAC include breath, urine, and blood tests. A blood test is the only type of test that directly measures the amount of alcohol in a person’s system, and thus is generally quite accurate.

Contact Us

If you have been charged with a DUI due to the results of a BAC test, experienced Rhode Island DUI lawyer James Powderly can provide legal assistance. Contact him today at 401-662-9006 to discuss your legal options.