Diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Effect Term Paper

08% or higher. Blood Alcohol content is the concentrated amount of alcohol in the blood, and this number can be assessed via chemical and Breathalyzer tests. Though this limit was previously as high as.10% in some states, even the lowered limit is not adequate to prevent alcohol related vehicle accidents. In fact, law enforcement officials classify an accident as alcohol related if a driver's blood alcohol content was.01%, or two drinks, or higher. Though some groups praise the.08% law as one of the biggest steps in drunk driving prevention, other groups believe a no tolerance policy should be adopted for operating under the influence of alcohol, similar to the policy that is already in effect for minors.

The physiological effects of alcohol do not begin at.08%. In fact, they begin at much lower blood alcohol content levels. According to Brown University, moodiness increases at.02-.03%; fatigue, delayed reaction time, and errors in judgment can be observed at.05-.06%; at.07-.09%, these problems only get more visible and more severe. Coordination, speech, vision, hearing, and operational skills are affected. Under the current laws, a person could be experiencing all these effects of alcoholism at.07%, and still remain within the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle. Based on the physiological factors just discussed, this is not sufficient to prevent motor vehicle accidents due to alcohol. Even the signs of fatigue, which take over after two to four drinks depending on personal tolerance can impair reaction time enough to cause a deadly accident.In my opinion, laws are far too lenient given the physiological affects of alcohol at various blood alcohol levels.

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