NTSB suggest dropping drunk driving limit to 0.05%

[rightwinger]

Make DUI limit 0.05% blood-alcohol level, NTSB says

States should reduce the blood-alcohol level that qualifies as drunken driving to 0.05% to reduce fatal crashes, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended Tuesday.

The risk of a crash at 0.05% is about half as much as at 0.08%, the limit in all states, according to a safety board report released Tuesday.

The board's recommendation follows an effort in the European Union, which set a goal of cutting alcohol-related fatalities in half by 2010 and succeeded. Europe is now trying to cut the crashes in half again over the next decade.

"This is critical because impaired driving remains one of the biggest killers in the United States," said Deborah Hersman, the NTSB chairman. "To make a bold difference will require bold action. But it can be done."

 

[rightwinger]

They seem to be going after the group with the lowest percentage of fatalities

6% of traffic fatalities are with BAC of .01-.07%
10% of traffic fatalities are with BAC of .08-.14%
21% of traffic fatalities are with BAC over .15%

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811654.pdf

Lowering the legal limit from .08% to .05% would only reduce fatalities by around 2% at best

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

I don't drink anymore, so I don't care. Meaning that if we lower it to .05, a lot more people are going to be getting DUIs, but it won't be me. But since the European Union seems to be having success at reaching goals, maybe we should emulate them. We should never be too proud as Americans to admit that other countries are good at doing things, too, and to learn from them when appropriate.