4 ms·

Also, is "drunkenness" not something measured? I thought the effects on reaction time due to BAC were well understood. Are they not? Decision making is more di

Also, is "drunkenness" not something measured? I thought the effects on reaction time due to BAC were well understood. Are they not? Decision making is more difficult to judge of course, but reaction time is massively important. So if we have a quantifiable measurement, who cares about vague things like drunkenness? Though, if something like decision making goes south far before reaction time does, then I could totally see an argument being made against using BAC as a measurement. Yet, I don't believe that's the case.

rascul 8y ago
The argument is that BAC isn't a valid way to measure anything pertinent. It doesn't show how drunk you are, or how impaired you are, it just shows how much alcohol is in your blood. It sounds like a good measurement, except that alcohol affects everyone differently (both physically and mentally). One person could have a BAC of .03 and be unable to walk. Another person could have a BAC of .12 before they get wobbly. There are too many factors in play (weight, tolerance, metabolism, hydration, food, etc) to make the measurement meaningful in regard to driving ability.