One reason that people find themselves facing DUI charges is simply that their drinking habits have perhaps gotten a bit out of hand. Maybe they’re consistently drinking more than intended. This can cause their tolerance to go up, so they need more drinks to get a buzz. Eventually, even when they think that they are acting safely, they could find themselves over the legal limit of a BAC of 0.08%.
But this isn’t a problem that is specific to an individual. It’s a thing that a lot of people do, and they do it very consistently. Studies have found that the amount of alcohol consumed is much higher than what people admit to consuming.
How is this determined?
They don’t have to look at this on an individual basis. It can be difficult to determine if one person is being honest or if they are exaggerating their own drinking habits – or perhaps under-reporting how much they consume.
But it is not nearly so difficult to calculate the amount of alcohol that is sold every year. Researchers can then look at the average amount of drinking that people claim to do and calculate how much alcohol they should consume if that were true. What they consistently find is that the total amount that people admit to drinking is only about 60% of the amount of alcohol that is being sold at retail locations. While a small portion of this could be simply sitting in wine cellars or other locations, the implication here is that most people are drinking more than even they believe they are.
Are you facing charges?
If you do find yourself facing DUI charges, they can have a major impact on your life, so be sure you know what defense options you have.