If you are stopped for being suspected to be driving intoxicated, you will most oftenly be asked to take a field sobriety test. During a field sobriety test, you can be asked to do a number of things including saying the alphabet from A to Z, closing your eyes and bringing both index finders together, closing your eyes and bringing your index finger to the tip of your nose, walking in a straight (heel to toe), balancing on one foot for a few seconds, and picking up a coin on the ground. The police officer that pulls you over can also ask you to blow into a breathalyzer. This measures your blood alcohol level ("Frequently Asked Questions") .
There is a legal blood alcohol level, also known as a blood alcohol content, for each state. For Michigan, if your BAL is 0.08% or higher and you get pulled over you will be getting a DUI. Anything under 0.08% is legal, but is still unsafe. However, this varies. if you are operating a commercial vehicle or a large truck. If this is the case, you're BAL can't be 0.04% or greater. But reguardless of the blood alcohol level laws, if a person has consumed alcohol, is under the legal limit, and is unable to safely drive, they can still get a DUI ("Drunk Driving Accident"). It is hard to determine how many drinks it takes a person to get over the legal limit. There is no one, set answer because it varies depending on weight and many other factors. As an estimate, if a small female drinking on an empty stomach with high body fat can become 0.08% with only 3 or 4 drinks in an hour. A larger male with food in his stomach and lean muscle can barley become 0.08% if 5-6 drinks are consumed in an hour ("Understanding Your BAC").
Because there is no way to know your exact BAL, your best bet is not to get behind the wheel at all. If you find an application on your phone for a BAL/BAC calculator, don't rely on it. There is no way that it is 100% accurate, for many factors effect this level. fatigue (exhaustion) can shockingly effect a person along with medications and food intake ("Amount of Drinks"). Many think that if they have a high tolerance this will get to 0.08% slower than the next. This is not true. Race is one supprising factor that can effect how fast or slow you get to 0.08%, but tolerance has no effect ("Understanding Your BAC").
The average blood alcohol level among fatally injured drunk driver is 0.16% ("Drinking & Driving"). This fact is important because it really shows that people don't know how drunk they truely are and where their blood alcohol level really is. 0.16% is twice the legal level in Michigan. Drinking and Driving is so dangerous because it effects a driver's reaction time, vision, tracking, concentration, comprehension, and coordination. It causes a decrease in the ability to react swiftly to situations, vision is blurred, color perception is impaired (expecially at night), attention to driving decreases, drowsiness can occur, ability to make rational decisions is decreased, and eye/hand/foot coordination can be reduced ("Driving and Alcohol").
There are many consequences of a DUI. All cases vary depending on if it is your first defense, second, or even third. Some consequences are 6 months in the county jail, 1,000 fine plus up to an additional $1,950 in penalty assessments, your car impounded for 30 days, 6 months driver’s license suspension ("Frequently Asked") a restricted license following your suspended license, and 360 hours of community service, up to 6 points on driver’s license (“Michigan DUI & DWI Laws”).
There is a legal blood alcohol level, also known as a blood alcohol content, for each state. For Michigan, if your BAL is 0.08% or higher and you get pulled over you will be getting a DUI. Anything under 0.08% is legal, but is still unsafe. However, this varies. if you are operating a commercial vehicle or a large truck. If this is the case, you're BAL can't be 0.04% or greater. But reguardless of the blood alcohol level laws, if a person has consumed alcohol, is under the legal limit, and is unable to safely drive, they can still get a DUI ("Drunk Driving Accident"). It is hard to determine how many drinks it takes a person to get over the legal limit. There is no one, set answer because it varies depending on weight and many other factors. As an estimate, if a small female drinking on an empty stomach with high body fat can become 0.08% with only 3 or 4 drinks in an hour. A larger male with food in his stomach and lean muscle can barley become 0.08% if 5-6 drinks are consumed in an hour ("Understanding Your BAC").
Because there is no way to know your exact BAL, your best bet is not to get behind the wheel at all. If you find an application on your phone for a BAL/BAC calculator, don't rely on it. There is no way that it is 100% accurate, for many factors effect this level. fatigue (exhaustion) can shockingly effect a person along with medications and food intake ("Amount of Drinks"). Many think that if they have a high tolerance this will get to 0.08% slower than the next. This is not true. Race is one supprising factor that can effect how fast or slow you get to 0.08%, but tolerance has no effect ("Understanding Your BAC").
The average blood alcohol level among fatally injured drunk driver is 0.16% ("Drinking & Driving"). This fact is important because it really shows that people don't know how drunk they truely are and where their blood alcohol level really is. 0.16% is twice the legal level in Michigan. Drinking and Driving is so dangerous because it effects a driver's reaction time, vision, tracking, concentration, comprehension, and coordination. It causes a decrease in the ability to react swiftly to situations, vision is blurred, color perception is impaired (expecially at night), attention to driving decreases, drowsiness can occur, ability to make rational decisions is decreased, and eye/hand/foot coordination can be reduced ("Driving and Alcohol").
There are many consequences of a DUI. All cases vary depending on if it is your first defense, second, or even third. Some consequences are 6 months in the county jail, 1,000 fine plus up to an additional $1,950 in penalty assessments, your car impounded for 30 days, 6 months driver’s license suspension ("Frequently Asked") a restricted license following your suspended license, and 360 hours of community service, up to 6 points on driver’s license (“Michigan DUI & DWI Laws”).
