The effects of alcohol can vary from person to person. How much a person weighs, whether a person is male or female or even what the person had to eat prior to drinking can impact his perceived and actual levels of intoxication. In some cases, it can be very challenging to tell how inebriated a person is based simply on looking at him.
Because subjective interpretations of intoxication are unreliable, Wisconsin law enforcement officials use various tests to determine suspected drunk drivers' actual levels of impairment. Blood tests are considered to be reliable measures of intoxication.
Consider an example. A Wisconsin woman allegedly had her BAC level checked at the time of a suspected drunk driving arrest. Law enforcement officials reported that the concentration of alcohol in her blood was more than four times higher than the legal limit of .08. That arrest, along with two others that occurred during separate incidents, caused the woman to lose her driver's license for three years and serve 30 days in jail.
Penalties for drunk driving charges can become exacerbated depending upon whether a person is a repeat offender as well as whether his blood alcohol concentration exceeds the level set by the state. Technology has enabled local, state, and federal law enforcement officials with the tools to test physical samples from suspected drunk drivers to determine whether they have violated the law by driving drunk. Though BAC data can be powerful evidence in a case against a suspected drunk driver, individuals facing DUI charges have the right to offer their accounts of their arrests as well as any defenses that may be pertinent to their cases.
Source: wkow.com, "Former principal jailed as repeat drunk driver," Tony Galli, June 2, 2015