NTSB Urges Adoption Of Lower Drunk Driving Standard

Posted on May 17, 2013

Studies may have shown that distracted driving has surpassed drunk driving as the leading cause of fatalities on the road, but that hardly means that we’ve vanquished the threat of intoxication at the wheel.  Far from it.  The National Transportation Safety Board estimates that drunk driving still accounts for a third of all traffic fatalities, and they want to do something about it.

The organization has unveiled a slew of safety recommendations, some of which target inebriated driving.  The one that has caught most citizens’ eyes, though, is the recommendation calling for a significant reduction in the legal Blood Alcohol Content limit.  At the moment, that limit is .08%, but if the NTSB gets its way, the limit would be brought down to .05%.

In backing up their point, the NTSB explains that having a .08% BAC still doubles an individual’s chance of being in a fatal accident.  And this isn’t the only measure that the NTSB hopes to see combat drunk driving.  They also recommended that officers enact additional crackdowns on drinking and driving and that interlock devices which impede the ignition of a vehicle when a driver has been drinking be more widely adopted.

Not all are happy with these recommendations.  The American Beverage Institute sees the move as an attack on moderate drinkers, as they believe that the lower limit would not help curtail the habits of those persons who already drink excessively.

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