Dui-usa.drinkdriving.org has released a free online Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) calculator in an effort to help educate people on how little alcohol is needed to impair a person’s ability to drive. The free calculator can be added to any website or webpage on the Internet.
According to a national survey commissioned by the Century Council, an alarming 70% of American adults did not know the legal BAC limit for driving in their state, and 78% did not know how many drinks they would need to consume in order for their BAC to be above the legal limit.
Statistics released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reports show that approximately 1.5 million Americans are arrested for drunk driving every year.
“Many people are under the false impression that after consuming only a couple of alcoholic drinks, they will be OK to drive. It can take less than people may think in order for their driving ability to become impaired and for their BAC (blood alcohol content) to reach and surpass the legal prescribed limit,” said a dui-usa.drinkdriving.org spokesperson.
“Care should be taken when using online BAC calculators and they should never be relied upon to determine exactly how many alcoholic drinks a person can consume before they can safely and legally drive. They provide general results based on scientific research and average biological values. They are intended to be used as a rough guide for educational purposes. The only accurate and failsafe way to determine an individual’s BAC level at any given time, is to use a reliable breathalyzer approved by the DOT, NHTSA or FDA,” the spokesperson continued.
Most jurisdictions worldwide have maximum legal BAC limits, and driving above those limits is illegal. Penalties for doing so include imprisonment, large fines, lengthy driver’s license revocation or suspension, house arrest, community service, ignition interlock restrictions, DUI schools, alcohol treatment programs, and vehicle forfeiture.
These penalties will pale in comparison to the guilt, shame, and remorse a person will have to live with if they cause an accident seriously injuring someone or causing a fatality as a result of driving while intoxicated. In 2008, the Fatality Analysis Reporting System by the NHTSA reveals that 11,773 persons were killed by drivers with a BAC of 0.8% or above.
Drinkdriving.org is committed to raising public awareness about the dangers and possible consequences of drunk driving for all those involved. Their aim is to provide a comprehensive source of information and an online community where any person who has been affected by drunk driving in any way can share ideas and help and support one another. This not only includes innocent victims of drunk drivers and their families but drunk drivers themselves.
“In a large number of drunk driving cases, the only people seriously affected, thankfully, are the drunk drivers themselves. Everyone deserves a second chance. We do not seek to punish and alienate people,” said the spokesperson.
“We endeavor to inform, empower, help, support, and educate people in the hope that they will make wise choices regarding the consumption of alcohol and driving, both now and in the future. This will ultimately help to reduce DUI recidivism and go towards making the nation’s roads a safer place.”
Comments on this entry are closed.