Moderation

Drinking & driving

Drinking & Driving

Never exceed the bac (blood alcohol concentration) limits for drivers.

As with any other alcoholic beverage, the consumption of wine affects the capacity to perform certain activities, such as driving. The alcohol impacts one’s ability to drive, it affects the psychomotor functions of the driver, their vision as well as their behaviour and attitudes.

The best advice is therefore to avoid drinking alcoholic beverages if you drive. In any case, the BAC limits established for drivers should never be exceeded!

Drinking & Driving

What is the Blood Alcohol Concentration?

Better known as the BAC, the Blood Alcohol Concentration refers to the level of alcohol in a person’s blood. The more you drink, the higher your BAC will be. But your BAC level will also vary depending on your size, your gender, your age, and whether you have had something to eat recently.

Your size

If you are smaller than your friends, don’t be surprised, if you have a higher BAC level even though you have had the same number of drinks. Because you have less body mass, the alcohol will be more concentrated in your body.

Your gender

As women are usually smaller and have more fatty tissue than muscles compared to men, their BAC level is higher because alcohol is water soluble.

Have you eaten in the past hours?

If you choose to drink on an empty stomach, be aware that you will reach a higher BAC level faster than someone who has just had lunch or dinner. Our advice? If you would like to share a glass of wine with your friend over dinner, be our guest, but avoid doing so on an empty stomach! And remember this does not prevent you from enjoying your glass of wine in moderation. Also, if you drive, avoid drinking.

Your age

As the percentage of water decreases with age, an elderly person will have a higher BAC more quickly than a younger person.

For example

A BAC level of 0.5 means that an individual has 0.5 g of alcohol in their body for every 1 litre of blood.

A BAC will generally decrease by approximately 0.2-0.1 per hour (¾ to 1 standard drink, or 8 g of alcohol per hour).

The BAC decreases slower in women (0.1/hour) than in men (0.15-0.2/hour).

Taking a standard drink of 10 g of alcohol, BAC will generally increase by 0.2-0.3 for each standard drink.

The BAC will increase sharply when alcohol is consumed on an empty stomach.