In a recent study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Authority (NHTSA), it was found that Utah saw a dramatic drop in fatal auto accidents after lowering the drunk driving limit from .08 to .05. As a result, activists in more states have been seeking to lower the legal limit for alcohol consumption. However, efforts to do this face legal hurdles, due to the complexity of implementing this change across all fifty states.
An Experiment in Lowering the Blood Alcohol Limit
In 2018, Utah became the first state in America to lower the legal limit for Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) from .08 to .05. Though controversial at the time, it proved to have a dramatic effect, as the number of fatal motor vehicle accidents decreased by about 20% over the course of the next year. As a result, activists in other states have been trying to do the same thing, in the hopes of bringing down the number of people killed by drunk drivers.
Scientific Studies Support Lowering the Drunk Driving Limit
In addition to the results seen in Utah, there are other reasons to consider lowering the legal BAC limit for drunk driving. For example, scientific studies have shown that people already begin to exhibit symptoms of intoxication as low as .05, with lesser symptoms like drowsiness beginning to appear at even lower levels. This means it takes far less alcohol than some people realize for the effects of intoxication to start impacting people’s safety.
Following Suit After Other Nations
While Utah may be the first state to introduce this kind of legislation, many other countries have similarly low limits, with at least thirty countries having legal limits below .05. In fact, the United States is increasingly an outlier due to its relatively high BAC limit. The primary reason the legal limit for drunk driving was not that low already was due to a compromise intended to make the legislation establishing legal limits for alcohol intoxication easier to pass.
Complexities in Changing Drunk Driving Laws
Likewise, several attempts to lower the legal limit for drunk driving in other states have hit significant hurdles. Unlike other countries, it is not possible to simply pass a legal drunk driving limit on the federal level, so each state must pass these changes individually. This means that it is unlikely for the legal limit to be lowered universally anytime soon.
Fox Law Firm, PLLC is a New York personal injury law practice serving clients throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. With more than three decades of law practice experience, attorney Kevin Fox has helped clients in personal injury cases obtain the compensation they deserve. For more information or to ask for a consultation, call our Riverhead office at 631-779-3400 or visit our contact page.
