Posted on 05/18/2013 6:30:51 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd
In an effort to cut down on the number of alcohol related accidents, the National Transportation Safety Board wants to lower the legal limit for driving from a 0.08 to 0.05 blood alcohol content in all states. That doesn't mean post-dinner-out driving standards will be more exacting anytime soon, though — indeed, the fight is just now underway, and from some of the most unlikely of people.
~snip~
Of course, the NTSB can't order the state or federal governments to do anything. They can only make recommendations about that one fewer beer. In fact, the recommendation to lower the legal limit isn't even receiving overwhelming support from those who typically campaign against drunk driving. "We don't expect any state to go to .05," said Jonathan Adkins, a (very realistic) Governors Highway Safety Association spokesman. "This recommendation is ludicrous," said Sarah Longwell, the (bottom line-focused) managing director of the American Beverage Institute. Even Mothers Against Drunk Driving — the lobbying group that won a string of victories in getting the national BAC levels in every state down from around 0.15 to 0.08 in the first place — isn't crazy about the new idea. They "would not oppose" the change, as the Times puts it, but ultimately the group supports other potential changes. This is the board "trying to focus on a group of people who are more social drinkers, who haven't been targeted in a while," said MADD rep J.T. Griffin, clearly seeking more widespread efforts on drunk driving.
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlanticwire.com ...
Yeah, the guys had to be a little tweaked to write you up for sliding in the snow. You can be sober as a preacher on Sunday morning, and slip on the snow and ice.
Ridiculous...
I am shocked to see so many nanny state posts on FR. The Republic is truly lost.
The books are cooked somewhat. In this state, if you are sitting at a red light and someone rear ends your car, ordinarily, the driver who hit your car would be considered at fault. Not so if you are above the legal BAC limit: not only is it an "alcohol involved" accident, it is your fault (presumably because you are over the limit).
I avoid drinking any time I got out to a restuarant. If you eat dinner with your family, both adults could likely have 2 glasses of wine. Thay will put anyone over the .08 limit. If I got pulled over on the way home, they could get me for a DUI. .05 would such take someone like me who doesn’t to access wheb they are having dinner with their family from not having any alcohol. I think restuarants would have unnecessary lost revenue. At least the streets will be safer. There is no price to high when it comes to safety, even when it doesn’t do squat to alleviate the problem.
“Why 80? I know a man who still drives to work three days a week at the age of 83. Nothing wrong with him.”
Statistics. I know a guy who drives drunk nearly every weekend. Never a problem. But, statistically, both the 83 year old and the drunk are MUCH MORE likely to kill someone else. So if we’re going to arrest the drunk for something that he might do, we should arrest the old guy for the same.
(although I am willing to make an exception for the old guy, if he can prove his ability...but not the drunk)
>>Tooling along at 60 when you could be doing at least 75 in the far left lane is not permitted.
Good. The essence of good transportation is speed. Slower traffic keep right generally is the law.
“Ban alcohol? I would hope you’re kidding.”
It was satire, Grams.
But you do know though, one of our past Presidents, before he was the Prez, bragged about his relaxation technique of taking a bunch of cold beer, his beagle and driving in his Cadillac for 100 or so miles of Texas interstate which passed thru his ranch bought up during his tenure in the House, benefit, no doubt, of big time insider trading.
Re my ban alcohol response, I am sure there are lots of folks who would like to do just that.
In the meantime, we just had a LEO in Houston killed today by a drunk driver who the news identified as a “non-resident citizen”. Must be the new CBS code word for illegal. Wasn’t the guy’s first DWI either. Harris County tops the list in Texas for DWI deaths.
Maybe instead of doing pressers about tearing down old buildings the Houston Mayor and Chief of Police could concentrate on taking DWI drivers permanently off the streets and send all those “non-resident citizens” back across the border.
No, but warm beer drinking would go up. Drunks are drunks, and making it taste a little worse is no deterrent. About all that can be done is prohibition, which demonstrably didn’t and won’t work, or punish very, very harshly for those who do it and get caught.
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