Scientific panel supports significantly lower drunk-driving threshold

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is pushing hard for states in the U.S. to considerably lower their drunk driving thresholds. Currently all 50 states set the legal limit at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent.

Last year Utah passed a law, which will go into effect December 30, 2018, lowering the state’s threshold to 0.05, and a National Academies panel is now recommending the rest of the U.S. do the same.

In a government-commissioned report, the scientific panel called the over 10,000 alcohol-related driving deaths each year “entirely preventable.” Within the report’s 489 pages the panel called for all states to lower their drunk driving threshold to 0.05, to increase alcohol taxes, to reduce the hours and days alcohol is sold in stores, bars, and restaurants, and to put limits on alcohol marketing while funding anti-alcohol campaigns.

The panel supported their proposition with evidence from countries who have adopted a 0.05 rule. According to the report, deaths related to drunk driving incidents were reduced by half within 10 years of instating a lower threshold. That means there maybe have been a serious reduction in drunk arrests as well.

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