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Get the scoop on how a new service curbs drunk driving with a mobile BAC calculator. You can use this interactive program with your cell phone, Blackberry or iPhone.
(NewsUSA) - Social events often include cocktails and other alcoholic beverages, but few people realize exactly how alcohol impacts motor function and response time.
A person's ability to process alcohol is based on their body weight and gender -; many people might not understand exactly how their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) may change based on the number of drinks they consume. For this reason, The Century Council, a not-for-profit organization funded by distillers, developed an interactive program to show how alcohol consumption affects an individual's BAC. Called B4UDrink (B4UDrink.mobi), the program allows users to access information via their cell phone, Blackberry or iPhone.
Before going to a party, users can quickly enter the type and amount of drinks that they plan to consume. A few short clicks later, the program approximates their BAC. For example, a male weighing 200 pounds can drink four mixed drinks over the course of two hours for a BAC of .05, which is below the legal limit to operate a vehicle. Conversely, if a 150-pound woman drinks the same mixed drinks over two hours, her BAC would be .10, which is significantly over the legal limit to drive. All 50 states and the District of Columbia designate .08 BAC as over the limit to drive.
Susan Molinari, chairman of The Century Council, stated, "B4UDrink.mobi is an excellent tool to raise awareness about how alcohol affect's an individual's BAC."
Drunk driving should be avoided at all costs. Here are some heartbreaking statistics from the Century Council:
- In 2007, in the United States, an estimated 12,998 people were killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes.
- Drivers with blood alcohol concentration levels above .15 are only one percent of all drivers on weekend nights, but they are involved in nearly 50 percent of all fatal crashes at that time.
- Sixty percent of Americans don't know the legal BAC limit.
For more information, visit www.B4UDrink.mobi.