The average Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) for drivers arrested for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) is 0.08 or higher, but BACs can sometimes measure much higher than that. BACs can be so high that it’s hard to believe motorists managed to walk to their car much less drive it. What many might believe to not be very common is actually the opposite.
In Henrico Country, Virginia, for instance, a woman named Angela Gittings is currently facing charges after she hit several cars outside of a high school while driving her own car drunk. Her BAC level was 0.38, which is over four times the legal limit. Gittings also did not have a driver’s license, which had been revoked due to previous DUI charges.
Studies Show Higher Fatality Rate With Higher BAC
Studies from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) show that a BAC between 0.31 to 0.45 poses significant risks of fatality due to vital life functions being suppressed. While BACs between 0.16 to 0.30 merely impair people’s ability to speak and affect their memory, coordination, reaction time, and, of course, balance. Anything beyond that, people can lose consciousness or suffer from alcohol poisoning.
Making these BACs even more dangerous are vehicles themselves, with large ones especially unsafe to drive due to impaired judgement and decision-making abilities. A man named Glenn Krisak, for example, drove his Pontiac Grand Prix into a New York State fairgrounds on September 4th. Thankfully, no one was injured despite the number of people present in the area at the time. Krisak’s BAC level was measured at 0.30, and he was charged with aggravated DWI and unlicensed operation of a vehicle in the first degree. On top of that, he faces charges for drinking alcohol inside the vehicle and failure to obey traffic control devices.
Additional Penalties For High BAC Determined By State
Many states provide lists of additional penalties for high BAC counts in drivers. If drivers are arrested with BAC levels of 0.20 or more, they are subject to lose their driver’s license for up to 10 months. If the motorist is a first time offender, the court can order an ignition lock device (IID) be installed to prevent operation of a vehicle while drunk for up to three years.
Driving with a high BAC can lead to revoked driver’s licenses, destruction of property, fines, jail time, serious injury, and death. People should think twice before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle, or suffer the consequences of their actions.
Taryn J. White is a legal research specialist and DUI law news reporter. Her current accomplishments include helping those facing any driving under the influence arrest charges, get free online assistance in learning how to fight a DUI case for the best possible outcome.
