NTSB recommends lowering blood alcohol level for drunk driving evidence to .05
The European Union has set the BAC level at .05 as evidence for drunk driving, and that has significantly reduced the number of alcohol related traffic fatalities throughout Europe. Russia, Australia and most of South American countries also have a .05 BAC level. Now the National Transportation Safety Board is recommending that all 50 states do the same and it wants the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to provide ‘incentive grants’ to the states to prod them into lowering the BAC level from .08 to .05.
As expected, the American Beverage Institute immediately cried foul. Managing director Sarah Longwell said: "This recommendation is ludicrous. Moving from 0.08 to 0.05 would criminalize perfectly responsible behavior. Further restricting the moderate consumption of alcohol by responsible adults prior to driving does nothing to stop hardcore drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel."
However, the NTSB reports that at .05 BAC, some drivers begin having difficulties with depth perception and other visual functions. At .07, cognitive abilities become impaired.
The New York Times reports that “Blood-alcohol concentration varies by body weight, gender, stomach contents and other factors, but generally speaking, a 180-pound man could consume four beers or glasses of wine in 90 minutes without reaching the current limit. At a limit of 0.05 percent, he could legally consume only three. A 130-pound woman could probably consume three drinks in 90 minutes and be legal under the existing standard; if the limit were lowered, she could consume only two.”
The Australian Royal Automobile Club of Victoria warns that as a general rule to stay under .05: “Men can consume two standard drinks in the first hour and one drink each following hour. Women can consume only one standard drink in the first hour and then one drink each following hour.” (A standard drink is usually defined as 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine or 1 ounce of 80-proof alcohol.) Now we know why the American Beverage Institute is raising hell about the NTSB recommendation.
All of you who drink and drive need not worry. It took 21 years for the states to lower the BAC level from .10 to .08. Many of you will be dead 21 years from now, some of you because you were driving drunk.
And the new NTSB recommendation does nothing about drivers under the influence of pot and other drugs like heroin, cocaine, meth and prescription drugs.
Colorado and Washington have legalized the recreational use of marijuana, while 18 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana. Drivers pulled over for erratic driving will be given BAC tests, but they will not be tested for being under the influence of drugs because that is more expensive. Colorado and Washington can expect a significant increase in the number of deadly car crashes caused by drivers high on pot.
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