Legislator Wants To Lower Drunk Driving Limit In Washington

WOODINVILLE, WA - You've probably seen the public-service announcements that say "buzzed driving is drunk driving."

Now, a bill floated by a Mill Creek legislator would literally make buzzed driving drunk driving.

State Rep. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, has introduced a bill in Olympia to lower the drunk driving limit in Washington from .08 to .05. All states and Washington, DC, use .08 as the "per se" legal limit - although limits for underage drunk driving vary from state to state from 0.0 to .02.

According to an analysis of the bill, the .08 limit is too high, and many drivers are too impaired to drive around even the .05 limit. The law also points out that drivers are sometimes prosecuted for drunk driving if their blood-alcohol is lower than .08 - but in those cases, it's harder to get a conviction.

There is opposition to the bill. When Lovick's law was heard in the House Public Safety Committee, it received a "do not pass" recommendation. There are also private interests against the bill.

“If you pass a legal limit of .05, you have to be prepared to arrest people whose level of impairment is lower than that of driving talking on a hands-free cell phone,” American Beverage Institute spokesperson Sarah Longwell told KNKX.

Washington State Patrol and the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys support Lovick's bill.

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