Should DUI Alcohol Limit Be Lowered To 0.05 Percent?
The National Transportation Safety Board recommends reducing the limit. Some say it would save lives. Others say it's unreasonable.
One drink could be the standard for drunken driving – at least for some people if the National Transporation Safety Board has its way. On Tuesday, the NTSB recommended states lower the blood-alcohol threshold for driving under the influence from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent. About 10,000 deaths a year are related to drunken driving. The NTSB says the lower limit would save 500 to 800 lives a year. Officials at the American Beverage Institute called the proposal "ludicrous." It said the average woman could reach the 0.05 percent limit by having one drink. According to CyberDriveIllinois.com's 2013 DUI Fact Book, there were 2,593 DUI arrests in Lake County in 2011; 3,071 DUI arrests in 2010; and 3,029 DUI arrests in 2009. DUI facts from …
Carl Castrogiovanni
7:42 am on Thursday, May 16, 2013
The clue phone is ringing, Illinois politicos! Hello! Look at the stats they provide, and you have a much better answer than lowering the limit: more patrolling of bars after midnight. Most DUI's are first timers, younger folks getting caught after midnight, and with levels twice the current limit. How is lowering the limit really going to address the true core of offenders? This is actually just… more ›