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It can be a criminal offense to drive while impaired by the effect of drugs or alcohol and drugs, illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine, LSD, heroin and opium and by some prescription drugs like tranquilizers. Drugs can affect your reflexes, judgment, vision and alertness in ways similar to alcohol and they may have other dangerous effects as well. 

A combination of alcohol and other drugs se- verely reduces your ability to drive and can cause serious health problems, which can include death. 

## ALCOHOL, OTHER DRUGS AND THE LAW 

In New York State, you can be arrested for any of these offenses: aggravated driving while intoxicated (Agg-DWI), driving while intoxicated (DWI), driving with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or more (.08 BAC), driving while ability im- paired by a drug (DWAI-drug), driving while ability impaired by alcohol (DWAI), or driving under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs. 

Blood alcohol content (BAC) is the percentage of alcohol in your blood and is normally deter- mined by a chemical test of breath, blood, urine or saliva. A BAC of more than .05 percent is legal evidence that you are impaired, a BAC of .08 percent or higher is evidence of intoxication, and a BAC of .18 percent or more is evidence of aggra- vated driving while intoxicated. 

Many people think chemical test evidence is re- quired to prove you were intoxicated or impaired. However, the testimony of a police officer about the way you drive, your appearance and behavior when arrested can provide enough evidence to convict you, even without a chemical test. 

If you are found guilty of any alcohol or drug-re- lated violation, the court must revoke or suspend your driver license when you are sentenced. Even if the court allows you to continue driving for 20 days, your driver license will be taken immediately. 

The BAC standards and penalties for commer- cial drivers are even tougher than those indicated in this chapter. For complete information, see Sec- tion 1 of the Commercial Driver’s Manual (CDL-10). 

## YOUR BAC 

Your blood alcohol content (BAC) depends on: 

• How much alcohol you drink. 

• How much time passes between drinks. 

• Your weight. 

Your BAC does not depend on the type of bev- erage you drink, how fit you are, or how you can “hold your liquor.” 

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