In
2013, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) proposed
lowering the blood alcohol content to 0.05 to cut down the risk of
DWI accidents. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the minds behind
DWI
law
in the U.S., welcomes the development. The recommended BAC, however,
still remains at 0.08.
The
BAC limit used to be much higher. Back then people hadn't heard much
of the dangers and consequences of "driving under the
influence." Only a few studies delved into the cognitive effects
of alcohol. Indiana took the lead by imposing a 0.15 presumptive
limit in 1939; 16 years later, Minnesota followed.
"Presumptive
limit" means law enforcement officers can presume a driver to be
intoxicated. Of course, simple observations don't always work in
every case. As evidence of DWI-related accidents mounted, lawmakers
in many states began lowering the BAC to 0.10. Minnesota took the
lead this time in 1967.
The
NTSB's effort to lower the BAC further to 0.05 is apparently nothing
new. A similar proposition was introduced to the House in 1989 but
wasn’t approved. The 1990s saw a more serious push to lower the BAC
to 0.08. MADD helped promote the need to lower the current BAC. If
the push to lower the limit further becomes law in North Carolina,
more people would no doubt need the help of a Raleigh lawyer for DWI
cases.
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