Source: NBC News
The National Transportation Safety Board voted to recommend to states that they lower the blood-alcohol content that constitutes drunk driving.
Currently, all 50 states have set a BAC level of .08, reflecting the percentage of alcohol, by volume, in the blood. If a driver is found to have a BAC level of .08 or above, he or she is subject to arrest and prosecution.
The NTSB recommends dropping that to a BAC level of .05.
Each year, nearly 10,000 people die in alcohol-related traffic accidents and 170,000 are injured, according to the NTSB. While that’s a big improvement from the 20,000 who died in alcohol-related accidents 30 years ago, it remains a consistent threat to public safety.
Karolyn Nunnallee, a mother who lost her daughter Patty in the deadliest drunk-driving accident in in 1988 and served as a president of MADD, speaks ahead of the 25 anniversary of the Carrollton, Ky., bus collision.
Studies show that each year, roughly 4 million people admit to driving while under the influence of alcohol.
The recommendation prompted immediate criticism from restaurant trade groups.
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