Feds Want To Lower Legal Blood Alcohol Limit for Drivers

[Lucille]

Feds Want To Lower Legal Blood Alcohol Limit for Drivers
http://reason.com/24-7/2013/05/14/feds-want-to-lower-legal-blood-alcohol-l

Federal accident investigators recommended Tuesday that states cut their threshold for drunken driving by nearly half, matching a standard that has substantially reduced highway deaths in other countries.

The National Transportation Safety Board said states should shrink the standard from the current .08 blood alcohol content to .05 as part of a series of recommendations aimed at reducing alcohol-related highway deaths.

More than 100 countries have adopted the .05 alcohol content standard or lower, according to a report by the board's staff. In Europe, the share of traffic deaths attributable to drunken driving was reduced by more than half within 10 years after the standard was dropped.
[...]
A woman weighing less than 120 pounds can reach .05 after just one drink, studies show. A man weighing up to 160 pounds reaches .05 after two drinks.

New approaches are needed to combat drunken driving, which claims the lives of more than a third of the 30,000 people killed each year on U.S highways — a level of carnage that that has remained stubbornly consistent for the past decade and a half, the board said.

"Our goal is to get to zero deaths because each alcohol-impaired death is preventable," NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said. "Alcohol-impaired deaths are not accidents, they are crimes. They can and should be prevented. The tools exist. What is needed is the will."

Zero percent, hm? Nothing like setting realistic goals!

But the recommendation to lowering the alcohol content threshold to .05 is likely to meet strong resistance from states, said Jonathan Adkins, an official with the Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state highway safety offices.

States are desperate for cash. They might be surprised at how many states would jump at the chance to lower the threshold.

 

[paulbot24]

Federal accident investigators recommended Tuesday that states cut their threshold for drunken driving by nearly half, matching a standard that has substantially reduced highway deaths in other countries.

The federal government actually acknowledges that other nations do in fact exist.....in order to guilt us and impose more regulations on us. Classic.

 

[phill4paul]

.15%
.12%
.08%

How low can you go when you're a prohibitionist?

New approaches are needed to combat drunken driving, which claims the lives of more than a third of the 30,000 people killed each year on U.S highways — a level of carnage that that has remained stubbornly consistent for the past decade and a half, the board said.

Total bunk but if you repeat a lie often enough................

NHTSA defines fatal collisions as "alcohol-related" if they believe the driver, a passenger, or non-motorist (such as a pedestrian or pedal cyclist) had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.01% or greater. NHTSA defines nonfatal collisions as alcohol-related if the accident report indicates evidence of alcohol present. NHTSA specifically notes that alcohol-related does not necessarily mean a driver or non occupant was tested for alcohol and that the term does not indicate a collision or fatality was caused by the presence of alcohol.[4] On average, about 60% of the BAC values are missing or unknown. To analyze what they believe is the complete data, statisticians simulate BAC information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drunk_driving_in_the_United_States

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

I haven't seen the stats on all those charged with .07 -.05 but most know, people that go out after work have one or two drinks, this sharply increase the revenues courts/cities will bring in at DUI checkpoints/stops. Sounds like a move to cash in.

 

[fr33]

We are all drunk drivers now.

 

[surf]

that'll be about 1 beer for me (a 150 lb virtual non-drinker if i'm not at a game).

everybody raised the drinking age to 21 when federal hwy funds were dependent on this.

 

[Seraphim]

"Feds want more revenue"

Fixed for you.

 

[erowe1]

People are dying! We have to do something!

 

[muh_roads]

Distracted text/cellphone driving is far more dangerous than someone driving just over 0.05 IMO.

 

[kcchiefs6465]

FFS.

10,000 people die annually. Out of how many millions of people that drive drunk yearly?

 

[AGRP]

Why not make it .0001?

 

[ClydeCoulter]

People are dying! We have to do something!

Ban dying?

 

[Anti Federalist]

We are all drunk drivers now.

Three Felonies a Day.

Step up, all you "law and order" types, that defend drunk driving laws and checkpoints and all the rest.

Defend this.

Of course this will get written into regulation, I'm not even sure if it has to go through the legislative process.

And a little more freedom is lost.

Comply or Die.

 

[kcchiefs6465]

Distracted text/cellphone driving is far more dangerous than someone driving just over 0.05 IMO.

Seriously, not bragging or anything, I've driven off of a fifth of liqour. Rolling blunts as I drove all over the state. Add in the level the alprazolam I was taking (5-10 milligrams regularly) and you could see why I call these laws bullshit. And this wasn't one time, this was daily. Everyone I know drives drunk without incident. The unlucky ones get caught up. My point of saying that is that on a relatively sober day, I'd piss .05. I wish I could take a driving test how I used to. Just to make some thought nazi's head explode. Say an open beer, off a few bars, splitting a shell while I drive with my knee, and rolling the perfect stick as I drive flawlessly. They could mix it up too. Have something randomly jump out while I'm driving. Once I pass, I never want to hear another thing about precrime.

I've never had an accident by the way. My tickets are all because of perjerous pigs. (driving through certain neighborhoods)

 

[Anti Federalist]

Distracted text/cellphone driving is far more dangerous than someone driving just over 0.05 IMO.

Oh, fear not, Comrade Citizen, we have that well covered.

New gadget locks down your car if you don't "dock" your cel phone in it.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showth...you-don-t-quot-dock-quot-your-cel-phone-in-it

 

[Anti Federalist]

"Feds want more revenue"

Fixed for you.

No, no, no...

Think about it, how much revenue could this generate?

Maybe 50, 60 million dollars...

Let's assume the cops nailed every single person that would have otherwise had been involved, even if peripherally, with a fatal accident.

Let's further assume that number is about 12,000.

Let's also further assume that every single one got fined $5,000.

That's only $60 million...in a $3+ TRILLION budget.

No, brother and sisters, let me make this as clear as I possibly can:

This. Is. About. COMPLIANCE!

This is about your sorry Mundane ass knowing exactly, but exactly, who the boss is, and knowing that Doom can fall from the sky on your head and ruin your life, the very next time you have any encounter with one of the State's costumed goons.

So you better straighten up and fly right Citizen, and do the Compliance Shuffle when and where you are told to.

Or Else!

 

[heavenlyboy34]

Why not make it .0001?

As an aside, what is the legal limit for "public intoxication"? /curious I've probably done that a few times recently without noticing. Coming soon: "ban walking!"

 

[phill4paul]

No, no, no...

Think about it, how much revenue could this generate?

Maybe 50, 60 million dollars...

Let's assume the cops nailed every single person that would have otherwise had been involved, even if peripherally, with a fatal accident.

Let's further assume that number is about 12,000.

Let's also further assume that every single one got fined $5,000.

That's only $60 million...in a $3+ TRILLION budget.

No, brother and sisters, let me make this as clear as I possibly can:

This. Is. About. COMPLIANCE!

This is about your sorry Mundane ass knowing exactly, but exactly, who the boss is, and knowing that Doom can fall from the sky on your head and ruin your life, the very next time you have any encounter with one of the State's costumed goons.

So you better straighten up and fly right Citizen, and do the Compliance Shuffle when and where you are told to.

Or Else!

It IS about compliance. This is a petty tyrants prohibitionist agenda. No doubt.

However, there IS big money in this game. We are talking in excess 1.5 MILLION DUI arrests per yer nationwide. The revenue is in the Billions. Add onto that the entire prison and mandatory psycho-babble rehabilitation industry, ignition locks, insurance then we are talking about a revenue generating monster.

Doom on us.

 

[ClydeCoulter]

It's about compliance that is an easy sell because of the local revenue that it will generate.

 

[dannno]

No, no, no...

Think about it, how much revenue could this generate?

Maybe 50, 60 million dollars...

Let's assume the cops nailed every single person that would have otherwise had been involved, even if peripherally, with a fatal accident.

Let's further assume that number is about 12,000.

Let's also further assume that every single one got fined $5,000.

That's only $60 million...in a $3+ TRILLION budget.

No, brother and sisters, let me make this as clear as I possibly can:

This. Is. About. COMPLIANCE!

This is about your sorry Mundane ass knowing exactly, but exactly, who the boss is, and knowing that Doom can fall from the sky on your head and ruin your life, the very next time you have any encounter with one of the State's costumed goons.

So you better straighten up and fly right Citizen, and do the Compliance Shuffle when and where you are told to.

Or Else!

It IS about compliance. This is a petty tyrants prohibitionist agenda. No doubt.

However, there IS big money in this game. We are talking in excess 1.5 MILLION DUI arrests per yer nationwide. The revenue is in the Billions. Add onto that the entire prison and mandatory psycho-babble rehabilitation industry, ignition locks, insurance then we are talking about a revenue generating monster.

Doom on us.

You're both right depending on who you talk to and where the motivation is coming from.

For the lowly legislator, they are probably thinking in terms of dollars and their $X million/billion budget shortfall.

For the propaganda machine that prepared this entire issue to be presented to the public, AF is correct.