Alcohol and the law — South Carolina Permit Test

BAC (blood alcohol concentration) is the percentage of alcohol in relation to the amount of blood in your body.

BAC is the measure the law's limits are written in, so knowing what it means makes the limits understandable.

BAC (blood alcohol concentration) is the percentage of alcohol in relation to the amount of blood in your body.

With one or more drinks in the bloodstream, a person could be arrested for driving under the influence.

An arrest does not wait for a high BAC; any drinking before driving puts you at risk of one.

With one or more drinks in the bloodstream, a person could be arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

If you have a BAC of 0.15 percent or more, your driver's license and driving privileges may be suspended.

A very high BAC shows dangerous impairment, so it triggers suspension on its own.

If you are convicted of DUI or DUAC, have a BAC of 0.15 percent or more, or refuse implied consent testing, your driver’s license and driving privileges may be suspended.

You can be convicted of impaired driving with a BAC of only 0.05, or a lower BAC combined with drugs, including prescription and over-the-counter medications.

Impairment, not a single number, is what the law punishes, so a low reading is no safe harbour.

Under the law, you can still be convicted for driving impaired even if you have a BAC of only 0.05 or a lower BAC in combination with drugs, including prescription and over-the-counter medications.

A driver under 21 who registers a BAC of 0.02 percent or greater has their privilege to drive suspended immediately for at least 3 months.

Zero-tolerance for young drivers means even a trace of alcohol costs the license straight away.

If you are under 21 years of age and register a BAC of 0.02 percent or greater, your privilege to drive will be suspended immediately for at least three months.

A driver under 21 who refuses to take the test for intoxicants immediately loses their driving privileges for at least 6 months.

Refusal is punished more harshly than failing, so declining the test is never a way to avoid suspension.

If you refuse to take the test(s) for intoxicants, you will immediately lose your driving privileges for at least six months.

What does BAC measure?

Alcohol as a percentage of your blood. BAC is the measure the law's limits are written in, so knowing what it means makes the limits understandable. South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.38: “BAC (blood alcohol concentration) is the percentage of alcohol in relation to the amount of blood in your body.”