I remember a discussion with a friend from a while ago that was never resolved–would you be dead if your blood alchohol level was 1%?
On a legal note, what is the Canadian (Saskatchewan) BAL that means you’re drunk?
You can find the answer to the first question in about a minute on Google:
http://www.factsontap.org/yourbody/BALandU.htm
It says people have died from 0.4%.
The second question is left as an exercise for the reader.
While .40 and above would kill a large majority of humans, there was a 15 year old kid in the small town I used to be a patrolman in that drank himself to a .52 :eek: He was in a coma for almost a week, and had severe health problems for quite a while afterwards, but he survived.
He probably wished he were dead.
You may be interested in an earlier thread: BAC record
I believe that throughout Canada, the limit is .08. But in Saskatchewan (and some other provinces), you can have your license suspended for 12 or 24 hours (with no further punishment) if you’re caught driving with a BAC between .04 and .08. The legal limit may be lower than .08 for young drivers
The 0.4% figure is just a nice, round number that’s easier to remember than 0.412% or 0.391%. It’s just an approximation. Most ordinary people will be unconscious at this level.
Yet, many people require less alcohol than that to reach unconsciousness, while some “career inebriates” can be quite functional at 0.4% and higher. Chalk it up to the human body’s amazing ability to adapt to its environment. In this case, the internal environment.
bibliophage is correct. The .04 limit in Saskatchewan, if I remember correctly, is the amber stage on the road-side screening device. So if you blow amber, the constable can pull your licence for 24 hours under provincial law, and call also make a demand under the federal Criminal Code for a further breath sample for full analysis. That’s done at the detachment, not the road-side, and if you blow more than .08 you can be charged under the Criminal Code. (If you refuse to blow, either at road-side or at the detachment, you can be charged with a criminal offence that carries the same penalty as driving over .08).
Sorry - something dropped out of that post. Should have read:
So if you blow amber, the constable can pull your licence for 24 hours under provincial law. If you blow red, meaning you’re likely over .08, the constable can pull your licence, and can also make a demand under the federal Criminal Code for a further breath sample for full analysis.