Does the Country Need Stricter Drinking and Driving Limits?

Earlier this month, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that all 50 states lower the blood alcohol content limit from .08 percent to .05 percent in order to reduce drunken driving deaths.

According to the agency, “impairment begins with the first drink” and drivers show significant declines in their abilities at .05 percent—not just the higher level that is allowed now. More than 100 countries on six continents have BAC limits of 0.05 percent or lower.

“Most Americans think that we’ve solved the problem of impaired driving, but in fact, it’s still a national epidemic,” a news release quoted NTSB Chairwoman Deborah A.P. Hersman. “The research clearly shows that drivers with a BAC above 0.05 are impaired and at a significantly greater risk of being involved in a crash where someone is killed or injured.”

How would these new limits impact your ability to enjoy some drinks with friends?

• For the average American woman weighing 166 pounds, three glasses of wine over a two-hour period would bring the blood alcohol level to .048 percent—just under the proposed .05 percent limit, according to BloodAlcoholCalculator.org.
• For the average American man weighing 196 pounds, it would take four glasses of wine exceed the proposed limit in the same period. Those four glasses would bring the blood alcohol content to .059 percent.

Patch wants to know what you think about the NTSB proposal. Does the country need stricter drinking and driving limits?