Editorial:
“MADD About this bill”?
Vermont is taking steps to lower the legal blood alcohol concentration limit to operate a motor vehicle in the State to below 0.05. This bill, H733, was crafted to change the current prohibition on operating a motor vehicle from the current blood alcohol concentration limit of 0.08 or more.
Why this is important . . .
According to the MADD website, .05 is approximately 3 drinks and can reduce coordination, ability to track objects, ability to steer, and ability to react in an emergency. According to a study by Wagenaar in 2007 and Fell in 2018 if all states implemented a .05 BAC level, 528 to 1790 lives would be saved each year. “At .05, crash risk is
38 to 40 percent higher than it is at zero alcohol concentration. (National Safety Council, 2016). (Compton, 2002) and the risk of being killed as a driver in a single-vehicle crash is 6 to 17 times greater for drivers at BACs between .05 and .07 compared to drivers with .00 BACs. (Zador, 2000) In the United States, a majority of the public supports a .05 BAC”