mmarshall

So then, what's your solution? Toss the whole system out and let everyone do whatever they want behind the wheel, any time? Unfortunately, we have that too much already as it is....and too many don't face up to their responsibilities.

If it comes down to a choice between a 99% perfect state-run system and no system at all, I sure know which one I'd take.

caddyowner

Something else to consider:

Many folks who've had a few drinks are overly cautious behind the wheel in an attempt to be careful and not be caught. (Of course, driving 10 MPH under the speed limit also attracts attention of the police.) Add the ubiquitous cell phone to the equation and I imagine impaired and distracted driving is a very deadly recipe.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

Infra

iTrader: (1)

I think if you're going to lower he limit in an attempt to catch more people, we need a better technology that provides less false positives.

Innocent until proven guilty should extend to the spirit of the law, as well. Convictions based on flawed science are worse than criminals going free.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

as an FYI the NTSB has no authority to force states to accept the .05 level

mmarshall

Correct. That was already made clear in both the original article and my comments on it. But the last time NTSB recommended major action (the DWI reduction from .10 to .08) almost every state eventually adopted it. Perhaps that standard didn't go far enough .....which is why NTSB is recommending further action.

nick01

yes lets jail, fine, and disrupt more american lives over this. At the end of the day driving is a dangerous activity sober or "under the influence". The long term solution will come when I can slap a google drive system on my car and tell it to drive me home from the bar... problem solved.

In the mean time this new limit is just ridiculous.

mmarshall

I would tend to agree more with your view if driving, legally, was a right instead of a priviledge. However, in all 50 states, there is no "right" to drive....it is a priviledge given to those who agree to abide by all traffic laws (including alcohol) . Same with a pilot's license, which is issued by the FAA and not by states.

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

This is fine by me. One life lost by something as stupid as drinking is one too many. Disrupt American lives? If you drink and drive, you deserve to have your life disrupted as much as possible. Again, it doesn't really matter until someone you know is killed or injured by one of these idiots.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

why not reduce it to 0% then

nick01

Great point that is true that it is a privilege not a right. Even still if it is such a privilege maybe we should do a better job of keeping people who cant drive when sober off the road.

As for TOked I am sure that is easy to say. What you fail to realize is that is up to the discretion of a police offer to arrest you or not. Not all DUI's are created equally. If you dont believe that profiling and targeting factor into who has a DUI and who does not then you are wrong. I am sorry if you have been negatively affected by this issue but so have people who receive a DUI and live otherwise upstanding lives.Again not all DUI's are equal.

Does a fair way exist to keep our roads safe? I would have to say no because I have witnessed accidents where nothing other than stupidity causes the loss of life. Driving is dangerous, the best you can do is make yourself the best driver you can.

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

I would support a zero tolerance law, and of course there is profiling. Doesn't make it right. You can prevent the cop from being in a position to make that decision by not drinking. You can be an upstanding citizen your entire life. All it takes is one indiscretion to change your own and most likely someone else's life forever. You can be the best driver in the world, but unless you're driving a M1 Abrams, there are those out there you cannot account for.

There is no fair way to keep roads safe. We can't account for every single distraction and variable. The sleepy driver, the poorly maintained vehicle, the medical emergency, etc, all that can happen while on the road. However, we can do little things to try and take out the variables that we can enforce, such as driving under the influence, cell phone/texting, etc.

If you know you are drinking or if you accidentally drank too much, why risk it and get behind the wheel? Or to moderate your drinking? If I know I'm driving, I limit myself to one drink and stop 2-3 hours before I know I need to drive. It doesn't take much to make a conscious decision. Of course it's difficult to do when you're out with friends and such, but it's a decision you make. And like all decision we make, we have to take responsibility for it.

Lil4X

That seems to be true - I recall many years ago when Car & Driver conducted one of those police-supervised drunk-offs with several of their own staff drinking measured amounts of alcohol on a tightly regulated schedule, then driving over a closed course at normal speeds. Of course there was sometimes a one-drink improvement (skilled drivers knowing they are being tested pay much greater attention to their driving after ONE drink).

By the second and after all following drinks, the test volunteers' scores fell steadily. I think it was Pat Bedard who never achieved the .08 level, being so significantly impaired he either passed out or threw up before he was "legally" drunk. Several other volunteer subjects were so compromised by the time they reached that level they were just sloppy drunk. For most people, .08 seemed a little too high a level to expect it prevent accidents.

It seems that everyone has their own tolerance for alcohol - a simple BAC is not going to predict who's going to be dangerous on the road.

RocketGuy3

iTrader: (1)

The average BAC for a DUI stop/arrest today is .21 from what I've read, so I suspect lowering the threshold won't make very much of a difference...

marshall2j

IDK, it seems like I see more idiot (ie. poor) drivers on the road who drive to slow, cut people off, don't look at mirrors, TEXT (WTF???), go through stop signs, ignore lights, etc. than drunk drivers.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/31545004

Either way, I just want to have a couple drinks when I have dinner and as long as that is still ok, then I'm cool with it. Maybe start instituting BAC systems in bars with disposable mouth pieces? lol idk