Traffic deaths in Utah dropped after the state lowered the blood alcohol content limit for impaired driving to .05%, a federal study found.
“Utah typically has one of the lowest rates of impaired driving fatalities in the nation, but this study shows that all states have room for improvement," Steven Cliff, deputy administrator of the National Highway Safety Administration said in a news release. "As our study shows, changing the law to .05% in Utah saved lives and motivated more drivers to take steps to avoid driving impaired. NHTSA researches the effectiveness of countermeasures to improve safety on the nation’s roads, and this study will be a useful tool for other States considering a move to .05%.”
The NHTSA study found that lowering the legal blood alcohol content from .08 BAC to .05 BAC reduced roadway fatalities in Utah by 19.8% from 2016 to 2019. Surprisingly, DUI arrests made in Utah after the new limit went into effect did not increase as much as expected, the agency said.
Utah’s drop in crash and fatality rates was greater than other states, and Utah is the first and only state to reduce the limit to .05 BAC.
"In 2019, more than 22% of those who drank alcohol indicated they had changed their behaviors once the law went into effect," the news release said. "The most common change was ensuring a sober ride was available when drinking away from home, an encouraging sign."
