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Over the past 30 years, the number of highway deaths attributed to alcohol-related accidents has been cut in half nationally.
The reasons for this steady and significant drop are varied, including more vigilance by law enforcement, increased focus from schools and organizations, safer cars, better built roads, increased seat belt usage, stiffer penalties for DUIs and ' quite assuredly ' the reduction of the blood alcohol limit for legally drunk driving from .10 percent to .08 in all 50 states.
Now,mbt shoes uk,mbt footwear Sister Act, times two 345, three decades after Utah became the first state to drop to the now standard limit, the National Transportation Safety Board is recommending another drop ' this time to .05 percent.
So far the news has been met with mostly critical reception.
Even among those groups that support such a move ' Mothers Against Drunk Driving, for instance ' little enthusiasm seems to exist. J.T. Griffin,mbt, a Washington-based representative of the group, told The New York Times that his group wouldn't oppose the decrease but that they weren't supporting it, either.
He called the proposal an attempt by the NTSB 'to focus on a group of people who are more social drinkers, who haven't been targeted in a while.'
MADD, instead, is focusing on other measures that would help curb drunk driving, such as better technology to prevent convicted drunk drivers from operating a vehicle if they have been drinking,mbt sale, more law enforcement patrols in key areas and tougher penalties for those complicit in allowing people to drive after being clearly intoxicated.
The Governors Highway Safety Association praised the NTSB's overall report on drunk driving in which the recommendation was made,mbt shoes, but it opposed a drop in the legal limit.
Its argument,mbt schuhe, however, was as much political practicality as anything.
Members recalled the fights to get states to move from ,mbt footwear.10 to .08 and predicted no state would take such a leap.
The American Beverage Institute, not surprisingly, opposes the measure.
The ABI, which represents restaurants and beverage makers, said such a move would focus on 'moderate drinkers' rather than those with a much higher and therefore more dangerous blood alcohol content.
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ABI also pointed to statistics that say 70 percent of drunken-driving fatalities are caused by drivers with a blood alcohol content level of .15 percent or higher.
In its report, the NTSB said that the reduction of alcohol-related fatalities has stalled at approximately 10,000 per year.
It cites government statistics that said people with a .05 blood-alcohol level are 38 percent more likely to be involved in a crash than someone who hasn't been drinking, as compared to people with a blood-alcohol level of .08 who are 169 percent more likely.
Too, the NTSB points to the trend in other industrialized nations, where most countries have adopted .05 percent as the legal limit.
We find it hard to ignore points made by MADD and ABI ' two groups that have often been on opposite sides of policy fights related to drunk-driving legislation.
They agree that those drinkers who would be most affected would be moderate or social drinkers, whereas a majority of the accidents are caused by heavy drinkers.
Of course, at some point, we have to ask, 'What is the more important issue: the safety of people driving on highways or allowing another drink or two for social drinkers?'
This is an issue that has merit, and we hope that states ' including Mississippi ' will discuss it.
If nothing else, such discussions could lead to new laws and limits that would have a more meaningful impact on reducing alcohol-related highway fatalities.
Technology is to the point where people who have been drinking could be prevented from starting their car, and such an idea has much merit.
Of course, there are issues and hurdles ' cost, practicality of tracking and enforcement. But some places are already finding success with ignition locks, another of the NTSB recommendations.
More can be done,mbt shoes Outdoors calendar _0 962, and more should be done. Lowering the limit should be on the table, but it shouldn't be the first option.
However, everyone should remember that drinking is not a right, and neither is driving. They are privileges, and they can be taken away. Better privileges lost, than lives.
The Clarion-Ledger |
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