Scientists Push for Lower DUI Legal Limit

 Posted on March 14, 2018 in Motor Vehicle Accidents

Almost all of us have been affected by drunk driving in some way or another. Some of those reading have gotten into fender benders with someone they suspect was drinking. Others have been seriously injured in car accidents caused by an impaired driver. Still others have friends or family members who have been killed or injured in a car accident involving alcohol. Incidents involving an alcohol-impaired driver cause approximately 10,000 deaths in the U.S each year. Lawmakers have responded to the problem of drunk drivers by imposing serious criminal penalties for those who drive with a blood alcohol content (BAC) over the legal limit. Now, that BAC threshold which determines if someone is breaking the law or not may be lowered.

Blood Alcohol Content Threshold

A prestigious panel of the National Academics of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is recommending that states lower the legal limit which determines is someone is charged with driving under the influence (DUI). As it currently stands, all states have a BAC limit of 0.08 percent, although Utah has passed a law which will lower the legal limit beginning December 30. The 489-page report suggests that changing the BAC threshold from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent would ultimately result in fewer deaths and injuries caused by drunk drivers. A person’s blood alcohol content is determined by several factors, not just how much alcohol they have had to drink. So, this proposed measure would affect drinkers in different ways. For example, a 150-pound man might require two drinks to reach 0.05 percent BAC while it may take a physically smaller person only one drink to reach a BAC of 0.05 percent.

In addition to the stricter DUI threshold, the panel also recommended that states raise the tax on alcohol and reduce the availability of alcoholic products in grocery stores, liquor stores, restaurants, and bars. The report estimates that if states were to double the tax on alcohol, car accident deaths would be reduced by 11 percent. The study also says that states need to be more proactive about keeping alcohol away from those under 21 and deterring binge drinking. The panel’s proposal is not without its critics, and it is yet to be seen if states will follow through with the experts’ opinion.

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Sources:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/science-panel-lower-drunken-driving-threshold-to-prevent-deaths/

https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving