The number of women arrested for driving under the influence in the U.S. rose 11 percent in the last four years.  Twenty years ago, under eight percent of D.U.I. cases prosecuted in the U.S. involved female defendants; however,  that number has climbed to more than 15 percent.

Men get arrested for driving under the influence far more often than women, that's why they're the primary target of ads and enforcement efforts. But the number of women with DUIs is rising.  Last year, 160,000 women were charged DUI. 

Experts say men don't feel the effects of alcohol nearly as much as women. Women's bodies have less water content, so they can get more intoxicated on fewer drinks. Women have fewer of the enzymes necessary to break down alcohol in the body. And hormonal changes, even from birth control pills, can increase a woman's response to even a single drink.  Breath testing machines are calibrated to measure blood alcohol from a 180 pound man.  The machines don't take in to account the physiological differences of men and women or between individuals.  It makes about as much sense to use the same breath device on men and women as it does to measure the blood alcohol level from breath of Lance Armstrong and Drew Carey.   They just have different body physiology, red blood cell counts,  and lung capacity.  Many juries in Metro Atlanta DUIs have released female defendants when presented with the facts on gender differences and breath testing. 

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