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By: William C. Head, Criminal Defense Attorney Atlanta GA and ABA Board-Certified DUI Attorney
Although many people are curious about what BAC levels causes a person to be legally drunk, Georgia DUI laws are not that cut and dried.
While the benchmarks for being over the legal limit, for DUI GA, are 0.08 grams percent or more for drivers age 21 and over, and 0.02 grams percent or more for drivers under age 21, plus 0.04 grams percent for any driver of a CMV (commercial motor vehicle) or school bus, Georgia DUI law is not pegged to an officer knowing those BAC levels before arresting you.
Every person who consumes some alcohol and later operates any kind of motor vehicle needs to spend 5 minutes to know his or her blood alcohol level, if confronted by a police officer. Simply by limiting your alcoholic beverages, you will not escape arrest if the officer decides to take you into custody for being DUI alcohol less safe.
This arrest decision requires much less proof than a conviction at trial, so do not think that having a low BAC level, or having nothing at all (e.g., no alcohol and no drugs) in your bloodstream will prevent a DUI arrest in Georgia.
Considering the life-changing DUI penalties in Georgia, if convicted of a DUI, it is no wonder that so many citizens opt to fight their drunk driving case in GA. The State of Georgia has no expunction of a DUI, no first offender, and a DUI conviction NEVER “ages off” or can be removed from your criminal history.
By taking time to consider how many standard alcohol drinks will push your legal BAC limit to 0.08 or more is the starting point. Because different alcoholic beverages are supposed to be served in standard amounts by commercial establishments, but often are NOT, you must be able to judge the quantity being poured for you, or served to you. Even beer comes in different size containers, and not just 12 ounce cans or bottles.
How Many Ounces Are In a SHOT of Liquor?
The owners of bars and restaurants to use a “shot” of liquor in mixed drinks, but some bartenders overpour the booze, to impress a patron or get a larger tip. The mixed drink “standard” is set by using 80 proof (40% ethanol) as the common denominator, but many premium “hard liquor” brands are 100 proof (50% ethanol). Additionally, several liquors (e.g., Bacardi 151 rum) have as much as double that alcohol content.
Popular cocktails have three different shots of liquor in them (e.g., “sex on the beach”), such that one drink can push the BAC limit for a 100-pound female to higher than the alcohol legal limit of 0.08 grams % for up to 4 hours after a single drink. Whether male or female, such triple shot beverages must be avoided at all costs.
High gravity beers will have more alcohol per ounce (up to three times a standard beer), and will cause intoxication much sooner than a regular beer, that is typically around 4.8% BAC level, on average. The chart below gives you an estimate of a STANDARD drink of alcohol, so you need to be able to LOOK at or TASTE your drink, to assure that it is a standard drink, and not poured “strong.”
The chart below, like almost ALL blood alcohol calculator charts found on the Internet, is set for a MALE standard. Females should add 10% or more to what your BAC level would be, using the chart below. When making any calculation, male or female, always be conservative in your BAC estimates.
After being arrested for DUI in Georgia, the first thing to do it identify an expert on Georgia DUI law through top attorney ratings. Look at who is BEHIND the law firm, review each of the trial lawyers’ credentials, and check out the criminal defense attorney who leads the law office. Every experienced DUI lawyer in the law firm must have full command of DUI laws and possess training in all aspects of successfully challenging the driving under the influence criminal case.
This successful defense record must include suppressing breath alcohol tests, and knowing every prior appellate decision on the Georgia implied consent law. An increasing number of drugged driving cases require that our criminal defense lawyers know how to challenge a GBI blood alcohol or drugs test. Being an INSTRUCTOR in the three NHTSA standardized field sobriety tests (SFST) is also necessary.
The best DUI attorneys in Atlanta, Georgia will offer you a FREE consultation, explain how their criminal attorneys search for a successful defense in your case, and aggressively represent clients to the maximum extent the law allows. Limit your search to DUI lawyers who have legitimate lawyer ratings and a history of proven results on knowing how to beat a DUI. If we are the criminal defense attorneys for you, ask us about our attorney payment plans.
Call our DUI defense lawyers NOW, 24-7, for an initial case review and FREE legal advice: 404-567-5515, or email our criminal justice attorneys.
Read Mr. Head’s 9 Tips On How to Beat a Breathalyzer Test.
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