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Study Suggests Lowering Legal Blood Alcohol Level to .05 in All States

WASHINGTON — A new report suggests lowering the legal blood alcohol level nationwide from .08 to .05 in an effort to help curb impaired driving fatalities...
Drink Driver

WASHINGTON — A new report suggests lowering the legal blood alcohol level nationwide from .08 to .05 in an effort to help curb impaired driving fatalities.

More than 10,000 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities occur each year in the U.S., according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report.

On average since 1982, one-third of all traffic fatalities are due to alcohol-impaired driving, and nearly 40 percent of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities are victims other than the drinking driver, the report says.

Blood alcohol content concentration depends on a number of factors, like the person’s weight, gender, and how recently they’ve eaten.

For example. a BAC limit of .05 could mean that a very thin person would be in violation of the law after just one drink.

The beverage and restaurant industries are reportedly strongly opposed to a lower BAC limit, with the American Beverage Institute saying that changing the law would be an attack on restaurants and hospitality and would target moderate responsible drinkers.

You can read more at this report sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration HERE.

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