Driving Under the Influence: How Your Blood Alcohol Concentration Affects Your Case
What is a BAC? What is the legal BAC in the state of California?
The abbreviation BAC stands for “blood alcohol concentration” and it refers to the amount of alcohol in a person’s bloodstream. In the state of California, the legal limit is 0.08% to operate a moving vehicle. If you are caught driving with BAC higher than 0.08%, you can be charged with DUI.
How A Rising BAC May Help Your DUI Case
The speed at which the body metabolizes alcohol differs in every circumstance. Factors like the type of alcohol consumed, the speed it is consumed, and the physical characteristics of the person consuming the alcohol all play a role in how alcohol will affect a particular person. Because alcohol generally takes between 30-45 minutes to metabolize in the blood, a person pulled over for DUI may end up blowing a false positive in some circumstances.
For example, someone who has only had two drinks with a BAC of .06 is not considered over the legal limit of .08 for DUIs in California. However, if the person decides to have one more drink right before they decide to drive home, they may very well be over the legal limit in 30-45 minutes. If that person is pulled over for suspicion of DUI immediately after consuming their third drink, they would not be over the legal limit at the time of driving. But, if the officers wait to perform a chemical test, the third drink may indicate a BAC above .08, since the third drink has now had time to metabolize in their bloodstream.
Contact a DUI Defense Attorney at Wallin & Klarich Today
DUI law can be a very tricky and complex matter that is best handled by experienced attorneys. If you have been arrested on suspicion of DUI, the best thing you can do is contact an experienced DUI attorney immediately. The attorneys at Wallin & Klarich have more than 40 years of experience in successfully defending against DUI charges.
With offices in Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino, Victorville, West Covina, Torrance, Los Angeles, and San Diego, there is an experienced Wallin & Klarich DUI defense attorney near you, no matter where you work or live.
Call us today at (877) 4-NO-JAIL or (714) 386-7710 for a free phone consultation. We will be there when you call.
