DUI Facts

According to Illinois law, “Driving Under the Influence” is defined as operating a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol, other drugs or intoxicating compounds and methamphetamine. In Illinois,a driver is legally considered to be under the influence if he/she has a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or more, has used any illegal substance, or is impairedby medication. A driver’s BAC is based on the ratio of alcohol to blood or breath. However, an individual with a BAC between .05 and .08 may be convicted of DUI ifadditional evidence determines that the driver was impaired. In 1997, the Illinois General Assembly passed legislation to lower the illegal BAC limit from .10 to .08. Illinois was the 15th state to impose such a change.

The effect of alcohol on an individual is determined primarily by two factors: the amount ofalcohol consumed and the rate at which it is absorbedby the body. Other contributing factorsinclude gender, body weight, alcohol tolerance,mood, environment and the amount of food consumed. From the first drink, alcohol affects coordination  and judgment. Even with a BAC well below.08, a person’s reaction time slows. The risk of being in a crash begins to climb with a BAC between.04 and .05 and increases rapidly thereafter. By the time a driver reaches a BAC of .06, he/she is twice as likely to be involved in a fatal crash as a non-drinking driver. By the time a driver reaches a BAC of .08, he/sheis 11 times more likely to be killed in a single-vehicle crash than a non-drinking driver.

The only way to rid the body of alcohol is time. Fresh air, coffee, a shower andfood cannot help a person become sober. It takes about one hour for the body tometabolize one drink. Each of the following has a comparable amount of alcoholand counts as one drink: one 12-ounce mug of beer, one 5-ounce glass of wine orone 1.5-ounce shot of hard liquor. (The amount of alcohol in a poured/mixed drinkis dependent on the type of drink and the person who pours it.)

The average DUI offender is:

• male (78 percent arrested are men);

• age 34 (60 percent are under age 35);

• arrested between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. on a weekend; and

• caught driving with a BAC of .16 —twice the illegal limit.

— Illinois Secretary of State