The Blood Alcohol Level

What is a Standard Drink?

The blood alcohol level is used by the police to determine whether a person should be charged with drunk driving. The BAL is affected by four factors:

1. The amount of alcohol consumed.
2. The speed at which the alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream. It is determined by the type of drink and the speed of absorption.
3. Your body weight decides your BAL. A person with a small size will have a higher BAL. Women usually get drunk faster than men because they have lower body weight.
4. The last factor is determined by the speed of the liver to get rid of the alcohol from the bloodstream by oxidizing it.

According to an article Drunk driving on the rise in Malaysia, the blood alcohol content (BAC) limit is 0.08 in Malaysia, which makes the country one of the most tolerable in the world, alongside Singapore and the United States (US). Some countries such as Taiwan and Japan would consider BAC of 0.05 and 0.03 respectively, as legally intoxicated.

However, MALAYSIAN TRANSPORT MINISTER WEE KA SIONG, in his ministerial reply on the Road Transport (Amendment) Bill 2020, which was passed in the Dewan Rakyat sought to amend Section 45G to lower the prescribed limit of alcohol content allowed in an individual to 22mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath; 50mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood; or 67mg of alcohol in 100ml of urine.

Currently, the prescribed limit of alcohol content allowed in an individual is 35mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath; 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood; or 107mg of alcohol in 100ml of urine.

Image source:https://www.alcohol.org/effects/blood-alcohol-concentration/