What does a blood alcohol concentration of .05 - .08% indicate?

A blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .05 - .08% indicates that an individual may or may not be under the influence of alcohol. At this level, the effects of alcohol can begin to impair judgment, coordination, and reaction times, but it does not uniformly mean that a person is definitively impaired. This range is particularly crucial because it lies on the borderline where the effects of alcohol can manifest differently in different individuals, depending on various factors such as body weight, tolerance, and whether food has been consumed.

In many jurisdictions, a BAC of .08% is the legal limit for driving under the influence; however, an individual with a BAC lower than .08% can still experience impairments. Thus, it’s important for drivers to be cautious even at lower levels of alcohol consumption since impairment can begin before reaching the legal limit.