Figuring Out Your BAC

Before you can estimate your blood alcohol concentration (BAC), you need to know how much alcohol is actually in the drinks you’re having. A single standard drink equals one 5-ounce glass of wine, one 1.5-ounce shot of liquor, or one 12-ounce beer. Wine generally holds between 15 and 20 percent alcohol, liquor falls somewhere between 30 and 50 percent, and beer sits around 4 to 4.5 percent. Take a Long Island Iced Tea as an example—because it blends five different types of alcohol, it carries an alcohol content of roughly 22 percent.

Calculating your BAC requires a few pieces of information: how long you’ve been drinking, the number of ounces of alcohol you’ve had, the alcohol percentage of those drinks, and your body weight. A tool known as Widmark’s Formula makes this possible:

BAC = (ounces of alcohol consumed * 5.14 / weight in pounds * gender constant) – .015 * hours since drinking began.

When it comes to alcohol distribution, the gender constant is 0.66 for women and 0.73 for men. If you ever feel uncertain about these calculations after a stop, a Clarion DUI lawyer can walk you through how the numbers apply to your situation.

Let’s work through an example. Picture a 150-pound adult woman who has finished two 12-ounce beers over the past two hours…

% BAC = (1.20 x 5.14 / 150 x 0.66) – 0.015 x 2

% BAC = (6.168 / 99) – 0.03

% BAC = 0.062 – 0.03

% BAC = 0.032 (this number sits below the 0.08% legal limit for adults, meaning you would not be considered legally intoxicated)

What to Do If Your BAC Is Too High

Keep in mind that the law requires you to submit to a BAC test. Turning down a blood or breath test triggers an automatic license suspension along with an extra criminal charge, so the consequences add up quickly. Should you end up arrested for DUI, reach out right away to a skilled Clarion traffic ticket attorney who understands how these cases unfold in Pennsylvania. Acting fast often makes a meaningful difference in how your case develops, and an experienced lawyer can begin protecting your rights from the very first conversation.

If you’re staring down a charge for Driving Under the Influence, you deserve a sharp and well-informed attorney in your corner. At Logue Law Group, we’ve successfully managed countless DUI cases throughout Clarion County and beyond. Our reach extends across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. Get in touch with us today to schedule an initial consultation by calling 412.387.6901, or visit our website to start the conversation with a trusted Clarion DUI lawyer.