Florida DUI Answers Blog

If you go out with friends to happy hour or a night out on the town, do you know when you have reached your legal limit? Most people don’t and quite frankly most people don’t give it much thought. In this new economy it is in your best interest to give it some thought as I predict that you will see greater enforcement of DUI laws as way to raise revenues in many states. The increased enforcement will be played up in the press and to the public as getting tougher on drunk driver’s but the reality is that most people don’t fight the charges and end up paying fines and costs between $2,000.00 to $5,000.00, or more depending upon their alleged Blood Alcohol Content at the time of arrest. This is easy money for the state.

So what can you do to protect yourself from being charged with DUI? First the easiest thing to do is don’t drink and drive, but we all know that is not going to happen for most people. That leaves you with several other options. You can have a designated driver for the night, buy that person dinner or give them some other reward for being the designated driver. Alternatively, you can take a cab instead of driving. This is probably an even safer option than having a designated driver, because sometimes the designated driver will have some drinks and you don’t even realize it. If neither of these two options works for you, then you should have a good idea of how many drinks it takes to put you at or over the legal limit.

The following chart was developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The figures in the chart above are averages. There was no consideration to whether or not an individual has eaten or not eaten. There is no consideration as to whether or not a person is fatigued, on medications, suffering from a physical or emotional condition that may cause actual blood alcohol levels to be higher. Do not rely on this chart to determine whether or not you can legally drive. In the chart, One (1) Drink is equal to 1 ounce of 80 proof liquor (vodka, rum, tequila, etc.) or a 12 oz beer or 3 oz wine. The yellow boxes indicate where a person is at or over .08 legal limit in Florida. The red boxes indicate where a person is at or over .15 Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) level that results in enhanced penalties in Florida. This chart is only to be used as a guide. It is not accurate enough to be considered legal evidence.

BLOOD ALCOHOL CHART

 When you are out drinking, remember that most drinks do not have just 1 ounce of liquor in them. The amount of alcohol in a drink depends heavily on the bartender. Mixed drinks typically have more than 1 oz of alcohol in them. A martini, for example, typically has 2 ½ to 3 ounces of alcohol in it. A Long Island Ice Tea typically has 4 to 6 ounces of alcohol in it. It is important to know what you are drinking as it will impact how fast you will reach or exceed the legal limit in Florida.

The advice I give my clients is know before you go out the number of drinks it takes to get you at or over the legal limit. Don’t drive if you think you are even close to the legal limit, it is not worth it!

Matthew E. Mazur, Jr, Esq.

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For more information on DUI in Florida please visit www.floridaduianswers.com