Blood Alcohol Concentration and Drunk Driving

Compiled by Patricia Helgerson, March 2001

http://www.legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/pubs/index.html#TP

Combating Hardcore Drunk Driving: A Sourcebook of Promising Strategies, Laws & Programs. Century Council's National Hardcore Drunk Driver Project, [1998]. (380.781/C33) This book was written for the policymakers, the courts, law enforcement advocates, and treatment professionals and designed to be a comprehensive resource on identification and assessment, enforcement, prosecution and sentencing practices, sanctions, and treatment of hardcore drunk drivers. Includes profiles of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and special jurisdictions.

"Drunk Driving Provisions in TEA-21". Jeanne Mejeur, NCSL Legisbrief, November/December 1999. (328/N21h/v.7, no.46) Overview of the 0.08 BAC incentives in the 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century.

"Drunk Driving: Setting National Standards". Congressional Digest Corporation, Congressional Digest, June/July 1998. (380.781/C761) "Should Congress pass a .08 Blood-Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Drunk Driving Standard?" - Cover. Some of the arguments presented in the Pro & Con section: Would incentives work better? What about states' rights?

Drunk Driving: Should Each State Be Required to Enact a 0.08 Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Law? United States Congressional Research Service, Science, Technology, and Medicine Division, 1998. (380.781/X6) "This report first summarizes key studies that quantify the impact of a 0.08 BAC law. Then, selected arguments are presented in favor and against a 0.08 BAC law or the imposition of a penalty against any state that does not enact such a measure." - Introduction. www.senate.gov/~dpc/crs/reports/pdf/98-33.pdf

"Drunk Drivers Beware". Jeanne Mejeur, State Legislatures, October/November 1999, p.28-31. (328.11/N214/v.25, no.9) Presents approaches states have used to curb drunken driving including 0.08 BAC.

"Drunken Driving: Does America Need Tougher Laws?" Congressional Quarterly, Incorporated, CQ Researcher, October 6, 2000. (380.781/C762) Since 1980, the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes has dropped but the numbers have leveled off in recent years. Is a national 0.08 BAC needed to continue the downward trend or would it penalize responsible social drinkers? Other measures considered are mandatory BAC testing after a serious auto accident and confiscating vehicles of drunk drivers.

The Effects of 0.08 BAC Laws. United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1999. (380.781/X16) The objective of this study was to review fatal crash data from the eleven states with sufficient experience with a BAC limit of 0.08. Eight of the eleven states studied showed some degree of decline in fatal crashes after the effective date of 0.08 BAC laws, however, there were other contributing factors to consider. www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/ncsa/pdf/Effectsof08.pdf

Highway Safety: Effectiveness of State .08 Blood Alcohol Laws: Report to Congressional Committees. United States General Accounting Office, 1999. (380.781/X7) GAO was directed to evaluate the effectiveness of state 0.08 BAC laws in reducing the number and severity of crashes involving alcohol. Briefly, their conclusion was that a combination of laws, public education, and vigorous enforcement is the best countermeasure against drunk driving. www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces160.shtml

OWI Laws Revised. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, 2000. Legislative Brief 00-7. (380.781/W7p) 1999 Wisconsin Act 109 changes. www.legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/pubs/Lb/00Lb7.pdf

Relationship Between Drinks Consumed and BAC. Connecticut Legislative Research Office, April 15, 1999. (380.781/C76b)
A 3-page research report with tables for the average man and woman, comparing number of drinks, hours, and experience.  www.cga.state.ct.us/ps99/rpt/olr/htm/99-R-0514.htm

The Relationship of Alcohol Safety Laws to Drinking Drivers in Fatal Crashes. United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1999. (380.781/X17) This study looked at the extent to which the reduction in alcohol-related fatalities can be attributed to illegal per se laws with BAC at least 0.10, Administrative License Revocation (ALR) laws, and illegal per se laws with 0.08 BAC. Data studied was collected between 1982 and 1997 by the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/alcohol/limit.08/voas08/alcoholsafety.html

The 0.08 Alcohol Concentration Limit. Minnesota Legislature, House Research Department, 1994. (380.781/M6i) A policy brief from Minnesota, it describes lowering BAC from 0.10 to 0.08 and examines several questions pertaining to it.  www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/pubs/aclimit.pdf

Related Web Sites:

www.abionline.org/08debate.htm - American Beverage Institute. Goes beyond presenting ABI's position. Includes links to other research and monitors state legislation on this issue.

www.baecdrom.org - The Blood Alcohol Educator. A program of the Century Council and the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. Click on "Survey Results" for a summary of a national survey on public awareness of BAC levels.

www.dwidata.org - The Century Council. Includes state profiles, state legislative section, and state initiatives among other options.

www.fhwa.dot.gov/tea21 - Federal Highway Administration. Reducing BAC levels to 0.08 was used as an incentive for additional federal transportation funding. This site contains the full text of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (enacted June 9, 1998). Or go to www.fhwa.dot.gov/tea21/factsheets/n_163.htm for a factsheet on incentives to reduce BAC to 0.08.

www.hwysafety.org/safety%5ffacts/safety.htm - Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Links to a wide variety of motor vehicle safety information including "Alcohol: Deterrence & Enforcement" in the "Q&A" section.

www.madd.org/Hot_Issues/08-facts.shtml - MADD: Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Some quick facts and MADD's position on 0.08 BAC.

www.nbwa.org/policy/bac08.html - National Beer Wholesalers Association. NBWA's position on 0.08 BAC.

Clippings: (Noncirculating; available for use in the library; clippings prior to 1981 are on microfiche)

• Drunken Driving - Wisconsin: 380.781/W7z
• Drunken Driving - United States: 380.781/Z

• blood alcohol concentration
• drunk driving
• .08 BAC