A bill under consideration in Washington would be the second state in the nation to lower the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers from 0.08% to 0.05%.
Senator Jon Lovic, Democrat Millcreek, is the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 5002. The former state trooper and former Snohomish County sheriff said this week that more than half of his more than 700 deaths on Washington’s roads last year were related to his DUI.
“Our roads aren’t as safe as they should be, they’re definitely not safe,” says Lovic. “We are witnessing driving behavior that I could not have imagined when I started working as a state trooper more than 40 years ago … It is very clear that drunk driving is impacting the safety of our communities. and it’s time for us to do something.”
The legal blood alcohol limit for most drivers is 0.08% across the country and currently in Washington state, but the limit for commercial drivers or drivers with a previous DUI conviction varies by state.
Josh McDonald, executive director of the Washington Wine Institute, spoke out against the bill this week, saying the change to 0.05% blood alcohol content would be “a reasonable and modern choice for both customers and wineries.” It can turn the consumption experience into a very serious concern,” reported KUOW.
Washington is the second largest wine-producing state with over 1,000 wineries, according to the Washington State Wine Commission.
Julia Gorton of the Washington Hospitality Association also opposed the proposed changes, arguing that at the 0.05% level “there is no discernible way to recognize signs of addiction.”
The Utah Legislature decided to lower the legal limit to 0.05% in 2017 despite similar concerns. A study released last year by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that the number of crashes and deaths has fallen since it went into effect, even though drivers logged more miles.
The National Transportation Safety Board last year said alcohol-related crashes were one of the biggest causes of highway deaths, and every new car in the United States has a blood alcohol test that can stop an intoxicated person from driving. It was recommended to equip a concentration monitoring system. The agency encouraged states to reduce blood alcohol levels to 0.05% ten years ago.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee expressed his support for the bill on Thursday, saying he believes the changes will encourage people to stop drinking and driving.
The bill, which is backed by about a dozen other lawmakers from both parties, moved Thursday from the Senate Law and Judiciary Committee after being changed to take effect in late December instead of July this year. Did. It goes next to the Senate Transportation Committee for consideration.
