What is the legal limit for alcohol and driving?

Every state in the US sets the legal limit for blood alcohol content, or BAC, at .08%. This means that if your blood alcohol level is above .08%, you can be arrested in any state in the United States and charged with DUI.

So how much alcohol does it take to hit the legal limit? There are a few variables which will determine how much alcohol affects you:

• Gender - In general females become more intoxicated than males
• Weight - People who weigh less become more intoxicated than heavier people
• How long drinking - If you consume a lot of alcohol within a short period of time you will have a higher BAC than somebody who consumed the same amount of alcohol over a longer period of time.
• Amount consumed - Obviously, the more alcohol you consume the higher your BAC will be.

Let's consider a few scenarios:

If you are a 160 pound guy and you drink 5 beers in an hour, your BAC will be around .096, or over the legal limit. If you spaced those same beers over 4 hours, you would be well below the legal limit (estimated .031).

If you are a 135 year old female and you drink 4 beers in an hour, your BAC will be around .095, so you are over the legal limit. If you could space those same drinks out over just 2 hours, however, you would be technically under the legal limit (estimated .066).

Of course, you should never drive near the legal limits because you are putting your life and the lives of those around you in danger. Also, take these estimates with a grain of salt - everybody's metabolism is different and can result in dramatically different results.