A new report by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends that states lower the legal drunk driving threshold.
The threshold is currently at .08 Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC), but the new report says that number isn't good enough and wants it lowered to .05.
The study also wants states to increase alcohol taxes and make alcohol less readily available by lowering the hours that alcohol is sold. They also want to crack down harder on underage drinking.
Recently, The Goldwater reported on a 30-year-old man who struck and killed three FSU <a href="https://thegoldwater.com/news/16311-Man-Convicted-Of-DUI-Manslaughter-For-Death-Of-Three-FSU-Students-Sentenced-To-60-Years">students</a> while driving drunk, although the blame was put on the high speed of his car, not the fact he was drunk, and he was sentenced to 60 years. The scientists behind the study say that 10,000 alcohol-related driving deaths per year in the U.S. in its findings.
They say those deaths are "entirely preventable," but are they? A lower alcohol threshold would mean more police to pull drivers over, more tickets being written, more judges brought on to handle all the cases, more shootings when people fail to stop, it just doesn't add up that growing government will amount to a good thing.
All 50 states currently have the .08 BAC law and they all agree on it for for a good reason, another attempt to lower it is likely going to fail. The only exception is Utah, they passed a law lowering it to .05 which would take effect December 30.
Having two drinks in an hour is the equivalent of .01 for most people, so .05 would mean a good handful of drinks in a short period but if you drink five drinks in half an hour you're already at the .05 threshold.
Weight, height, tolerance and other factors all play a role but as a general rule your body can process a drink an hour and one drink is about .01 BAC.
Most states just legalized marijuana and all agree adults should have the freedom to do what they choose, they aren't about to restrict that choice by lowering the threshold.
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Source: https://www.wkbw.com/news/experts-suggest-lowering-08-drunk-driving-limit
