Washington bill would lower legal blood alcohol level limit

By LISA BAUMANN
The Associated Press

A bill under consideration in Washington state would make it the second state in the country to lower the legal limit for a driver’s blood alcohol content from 0.08% to 0.05%. Former state trooper and state Sen. John Lovick is sponsoring the bill. He said this week that hundreds of people were killed on roads in Washington last year in DUI-related incidents and that action should be taken to prevent more deaths. Josh McDonald, executive director of the Washington Wine Institute, spoke against the bill this week, saying it could turn modern consumption experiences into a “very serious concern.” Traffic deaths decreased in Utah after the state enacted a similar 0.05% law.