of impairment severe enough that criminal sanctions are enforced for driving. Most people are impaired before they become legally in- toxicated. In the U.S., the illegal limit for alcohol intoxication is .08 BAC. It has been shown that all people are intoxicated at a .08. For those un- der the age of 21, it is illegal to drink and illegal to drive with any measurable amount of alcohol in the bloodstream. Regardless of whether or not someone drinking alcohol believes he or she can drive, the law in all 50 states says that a person is intoxicated and must not operate a motor vehicle if the BAC reaches .08. The safest rule to follow is to not drink and drive and never ride with anyone who has been drinking. Drugs Impairment varies from drug to drug. An over- the-counter drug like ibuprofen may not provide any form of impairment if taken at a normal dose. However an illicit drug, like heroin, would cause significant impairment right away and can last for hours. Laws regarding driving under the influence of pre- scription and illegal drugs have been implemented in some states and set a standard level of intoxica- tion for each drug. Often times, a case involving
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