The National Transportation Safety Board suggested lowering the blood alcohol limit from .0-8 to .0-5 in all 50-states. That announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon. Currently, all 50-states follow the .0-8 limit.
Currently, if a potential drunk driver has a blood alcohol content of .0-8 or above, he or she is legally over the limit and could face a DUI conviction. If this new level is agreed upon and implemented by the federal government, then anyone with a blood alcohol content at .0-5 would be legally over the limit. The NTSB believes if the limit is changed then up to 1,000 lives could be saved each year.
So, what does this mean for Tennessee? A lot! The good news is that it would likely result in MORE convictions for our state (if approved by the Federal Government) which does indeed equal more revenue. It will not necessarily result in more arrests as most law enforcement agencies primarily conduct blood alcohol test with blood being drawn from the suspect thus avoiding the breathalyzer which was once a standard procedure. The National Transportation Safety Board did however recommend more states use a new sensor device to better detect the use of alcohol by a motorist.
The bad news, it also equals a loss in revenue as persons who are facing a conviction head to court and miss work in the process, drop their car insurance if they are not driving for a year upon conviction, loss in transportation to and from work which could equal a loss in employment. Just a little food for thought.
WGNS will keep you informed on this possible change and let you know if it does get the approval by the Feds.
The safety report and recommendations culminate a year-long effort by the NTSB to thoroughly examine this problem and develop a set of targeted interventions. The recommendations include:
- Reduce state BAC limits from 0.08 to 0.05 or lower
- Increase use of high-visibility enforcement
- Develop and deploy in-vehicle detection technology
- Require ignition interlocks for all offenders
- Improve use of administrative license actions
- Target and address repeat offenders
- Reinforce use and effectiveness of DWI courts
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