Sobering facts on holiday spirits

Vernon Hills police are sharing some sobering statistics about holiday spirits as a caution to revelers.

According to police, the average cost of a DUI conviction in Illinois is $16,580 and 317 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in 2013. Also that year, more than 34,000 DUI arrests were made and 93 percent lost their driving privileges.

The legal limit for intoxication is .08 blood alcohol content, but an individual who registers between .05 and .08 could be convicted of DUI if additional evidence shows the driver was impaired. A 170-pound maan typically must consume more than four drinks in one hour on an empty stomach to reach a level of .08, and a 135-pound woman typically would have to consume three drinks in the same time frame.

One 12-ounce beer, one five-ounce glass of wine, and one 1.5 ounce shot of hard liquor contain a comparable amount of alcohol.