An estimate of your blood alcohol content
Four numbers and the Widmark formula. It cannot see what you ate, what medication you are on or how strong the pour was, and no court or officer will accept it.
Already have a DUI? Ask about the SR-22
- 0.08% adult limit
- 0.04% commercial
- Zero tolerance under 21
Four inputs, one estimate
Widmark is the formula every one of these tools uses. It is a model of an average body, so it is at its least reliable exactly when it matters most: close to the line.
A standard drink is 14 grams of pure alcohol. What that looks like in a glass is below.
0.042%
Impairing range
Over the commercial limit, and impaired driving can be charged below 0.08% in most states. Being under the number is not a defense.
Read this before the number
Everyone metabolizes alcohol differently, and the difference is not small: age, weight, what is in your stomach, medication and how quickly you drank all move the real figure away from the estimate. This tool is a high-level approximation for reading after the fact. It is not a legal measurement, it is not evidence, and it cannot tell you that you are safe to drive. If there is any doubt at all, do not drive.
What counts as one drink
The estimator asks for standard drinks, and a standard drink is a measure of alcohol rather than a measure of glass. In the United States it is 14 grams of pure alcohol.
12 oz
Regular beer
about 5% alcohol
5 oz
Table wine
about 12% alcohol
1.5 oz
Distilled spirits
about 40%, 80 proof
A large glass of wine or a strong craft beer can be a drink and a half or two on its own, which is the most common way an estimate like this comes out too low.
The limits that actually apply
Four thresholds, and which one you are held to depends on your age, your license class and your state. Being under the number is not the same as being fit to drive: most states can charge impaired driving below the limit.
How the state measures it
A breath test at the roadside or the station, or a blood draw. That reading is the one a court works from, and refusing it carries its own penalty under implied consent laws. What implied consent and ALR mean.
Where the SR-22 comes in
It does not follow automatically from a reading. Whether you need an SR-22, and for how long, is set by your state and by what the court decides. What an SR-22 actually is.
If the test already happened
Then the estimate is behind you and the filing is the part in front of you. A specialist can tell you what your state requires after a DUI and what a policy would cost for a record like yours. It takes about three minutes and the referral is free.
Licensed agents · Free referral · No obligation
The terms on your paperwork, defined