Morgan County Sheriff Department

Indiana DUI OWI Laws and BAC limits

DUI is more commonly known as OWI (operating while intoxicated) in Indiana.

ALL DRIVERS - BAC LIMIT = 0.08%
In the State of Indiana it is crime for ANY driver to drive with a BAC (blood alcohol content - concentration) of 0.08% and above.

COMMERCIAL DRIVERS - BAC LIMIT = 0.04%
It is a crime for commercial vehicle operators to drive with a BAC (blood alcohol content - concentration) of 0.04% or above.

MINOR (under the age of 21) - BAC LIMIT = 0.01%
It is a crime for persons under 21 years of age to drive with a BAC (blood alcohol content - concentration) of 0.01% or above.

It is an offense to refuse to submit to a chemical test in Indiana and "Implied Consent Laws" are enforced.

Using the BAC calculator

Use this calculator to instantly compute your estimated blood/breath alcohol concentration.
Keep in mind the results generated are estimates.
The primary purpose is to provide information about the responsible use of alcohol.

Instructions: Please select weight, drinks consumed, time period and gender and click the "compute your BAC" button.

Note: I developed this BAC calculator in 10 pound increments, you can use the closest weight shown, but to be on the safe side choose the next lower closest weight. Drinks consumed can be a beer, a glass of wine or a mixed drink. For the most part, a glass of wine (5-ounce glass), a bottle or can of beer (12-ounce), and a shot of whiskey or other distilled spirits (1/2 ounce of 80 proof distilled spirits (either straight or in a mixed drink), all contain equivalent amounts of alcohol and are the same to a Breathalyzer.

Alcohol equivalence is an important fact to know. Alcohol is alcohol, and a drink is a drink.
It’s not what people drink but how much they drink that maters.

*Morgan* Weight:	*County*	*Sheriff Dept.* (pounds)
Drinks consumed:		(12 oz. beer or equivalent)
Over time period:		(hours)
Gender:
Your BAC will be:

This BAC calculator is "JavaScript-based" and your browser will need JavaScript enabled to work.
This calculator may not work with some older browsers that do not support JavaScript.

There are so many variables and factors that can affect a specific individuals BAC level at any given time that the only failsafe and reliable way to calculate an individuals blood alcohol level at a precise moment in time is by blood analysis or a reliable and approved breathalyzer. This BAC calculator provides reliable estimates based on average biological values and scientific research and should be used for educational, research and information purposes only. If in doubt, use common sense and do not drive.

What is Bac - Blood Alcohol Content?
Blood alcohol content is a measure of the amount of alcohol present in a certain amount of blood. It is usually described as the amount of alcohol
in mg per 100ml of blood. The prescribed legal drunk driving limit in Indiana is 80mg/100ml blood or 0.08%.

!! CAUTION - Driving Ability Impaired !!

You can be prosecuted in Indiana without driving while you are over the legal prescribed bac limit.
**Under Indiana law, it is unlawful to drive with a BAC limit above the per se laws OR to drive while impaired under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.**

Under this law the officer must show that the driver was IMPAIRED by alcohol and/or drugs. The level of impairment is usually based on observations and evidence of driving ability (or rather inability), physical appearance, field sobriety tests and any other relevant evidence which can help prove a persons driving ability was indeed impaired. Different amounts of alcohol can affect people in different ways, what may impair one persons driving ability and make them feel drunk, might not necessarily impair another persons driving ability.

Observations from a law enforcement officer that may lead to being stopped and arrested include:

Making a turn too widely or narrowly
Using two lanes, straddling the center line
Almost hitting someone or something
Weaving or drifting from one side of the road to another
Driving too slowly and being overly cautious
Driving too close to vehicle in front
Driving ON the center lines
Erratic braking
Swerving to correct course of vehicle

You can be charged with an offence regardless of your BAC level, as long as impairment can be proved to the legal extent necessary.

FACTORS THAT AFFECT YOUR BAC - Blood Alcohol Content

Numerous factors can affect an individuals BAC, these include:

The amount of alcohol a person consumes, the more they drink, the higher their BAC will become
The speed at which a person consumes alcohol, the faster a person drinks, the faster their BAC will rise
A persons gender. Alcohol is highly water soluble and a persons BAC is directly proportional to their total body water content. Females generally have less water in their bodies than males, this means that a female who drinks exactly the same amount of alcohol as a male, in the same space of time, will generally have a higher BAC.
A persons weight. The more a person weighs generally means the more water they will have in their bodies, meaning any alcohol ingested will produce a lower alcohol to blood ratio than that of a person weighing less. This is because the alcohol is "spread out" more "thinly".
A persons fat/muscle content. Fatty tissue does not absorb alcohol very well, alcohol will be absorbed a lot more into other tissues which are rich in water such as muscle. If two people weighing 198 lbs., one a tall thin person and the other a small fat person consumed the same amount of alcohol, the small fat person would have a higher BAC than the tall thin person.
A persons metabolism (the rate at which alcohol is processed and eliminated by the body). This can vary from person to person, however, the average person will eliminate 15ml of alcohol per hour. Heavy drinkers may have more active livers and can therefore eliminate more alcohol than average. People with liver disease may have less active livers and will therefore eliminate alcohol slower.
Medication and the amount of food in the stomach can also have an effect on the rate at which alcohol is absorbed into the body and subsequently eliminated. Younger people also tend to metabolize alcohol more quickly than older people.

BAC LEVEL	GENERAL EFFECTS	EFFECTS ON DRIVING SKILLS
.02%	Some loss of judgment Relaxation Slight body warmth Altered mood	Decline in visual functions (rapid tracking of a moving target) Decline in ability to perform two tasks at the same time (divided attention)
.05%	Exaggerated behavior May have loss of small muscle control (focusing of eyes etc) Impaired judgment Lowered alertness Inhibitions become lowered	Reduced co-ordination Reduced ability to track moving objects Increased difficulty in steering Rapid response to emergency driving situations reduced
.08%	Muscle co-ordination is reduced further reduced (balance, speech, vision, reaction times are all reduced) Judgment, self control, reasoning and memory are impaired Increased difficulty in detecting danger	Difficulty concentrating Short term memory loss Speed control is affected Reduced information processing ability (signal detection, visual search, danger perception) Impaired perception of surroundings
.10%	Obvious deterioration of reaction times and self control Slurred speech, poor co-ordination, slowed thinking, lowered inhibitions Visibly impaired	Reduced ability to maintain lane position (difficulty steering) Reaction times greatly reduced False sense of control Overall ability to control vehicle and react to surroundings greatly reduced
.15%	Muscle control greatly reduced Vomiting may occur (unless a tolerance for alcohol has been built up over time or a person has reached this alcohol level slowly) Major loss of balance and co-ordination	Substantial impairment of overall vehicle control (reaction times, speed control, visual, auditory and information processing greatly reduced)

REMEMBER THE ONLY SAFE DRIVING LIMIT IS "0"

IF YOU INTEND TO DRINK - STAY SAFE AND DON'T DRIVE!!

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PLEASE CONTACT RANDY MANLEY.