CHICAGO, May 28 (UPI) — U.S. proposals to lower the legal limit of a driver’s blood-alcohol content from 0.08 to 0.05 may not go far enough, a U.S. trauma surgeon says.
Dr. Thomas Esposito, chief of the Division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care and Burns in the Department of Surgery at Loyola University Medical Center near Chicago, said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is proposing that the legal limit for a driver’s blood-alcohol content be reduced from 0.05 from the current 0.08.
“The rationalization by critics that it penalizes the person who only occasionally has ‘one too many’ or who only drinks ‘socially’ makes no sense,” Esposito said in a statement. “One too many is just that; it’s about impairment, not the number of drinks.”
The odds of crashing increase exponentially when blood-alcohol content is higher than 0.05, as many studies document, Esposito said.
“Some states even have zero alcohol tolerance for teen drivers which seems to be effective in reducing injury,” Esposito said.
In 2011, 9,858 people were killed, 350,000 injured and $132 billion spent as a result of drunken driving, Esposito said.
Copyright 2013 United Press International, Inc. (UPI).
This is a joke. If we really want to make our roads safe then we should also prohibit those who are medicated from driving. No ifs ands or butts. You take any drug, whether it is alcohol or prescribed medicine, you do NOT drive. Oh yes, we should also take the elderly off of the road. This will save many lives.
I have this question. When the police pull over a driver suspected of drunk driving, they blow in the machine and the driver is say….06 what happens? Are they allowed to get back in the car and drive again? Are they allowed to say call a friend or a cab and get a safe ride home?
I simply dont know what happens in that circumstance. If they are allowed to drive again that would seem highly irresponable of the police, if they are able to get a safe way home then why bother having any benchmark for intoxication.
Why wouldn’t you know? If the limit is .05 and someone blows .06, what do you think.
I am talking about present day. the limit it .08
He walks, no crime committed. Often the officer will forget about why he even stopped the vehicle in the first place.
We can drink and drive in America. We just can’t get drunk and drive. One thing you can’t do though is use medical marijuana if you have glaucoma. We have standards.
“This means, that for every alcoholic beverage sold to a drunk driver…the manufacturer pays a penalty tax upon conviction.”
Nice attempt at deflection! Keep swingin for the fences.
Bullshit law that is nothing more than a money grab and a way to make criminals out of law-abiding citizens.
That’s easy to say, but to be honest, you cannot back that up with any kind of proof.
And Sir, if you are pulled over for suspected drunk driving, and are found to be over the legal limit, that cannot reasonably be considered law-abiding.
Actually it shows a callous disregard for the other citizens of the community who have a reasonable expectation of safety on our streets.
I have never been in an accident that involved another vehicle that was my fault. How do you assume that I have “callous disregard for other peoples safety” You make a lot of acusations and assumptions for somebody who does not know me.
You will notice my comment was written with an “if”, as in proposing a hypothetical situation, not accusation.
The context of what was written was aimed at the act of drunk driving, and that is a callous disregard towards others in the community, and human life.
It is a law that sets public policy to protect citizens and fight anti-social behaviors.
This nothing new. We been making criminals out of cancer patients who use pot for crying out loud and the funny thing is, many drunk drivers like you supported it and now the chickens are coming home to roost. Too bad, you should of spoke up.
Using pot is a choice one makes, especially when a legal prescription (Marinol)is available to do the same thing.
Why do you insist on telling this same marinol lie over and over and over. Our government has already said marinol does not replace cannabis and it is precisely why the US gives it’s federal patients tins of cannabis and NOT marinol. All you are doing is purposely spreading lies and propaganda because you’d rather see sick people suffer because deep down you’re an evil rat bastard. There, I said it.
Huh? Are you in the same blog as everybody else or are you too stupid to realize this is two different subjects? Show me where I have criminalized cancer patients for smoking dope.
I’m talking to observer, you must watch the arrows ^
“….and the people are not solely responsible for this phenomena (drunk driving).”
Without question Peter, you are flat out wrong. Drinking is an activity that one does not out of instinct, but by choice. I emphasize choice because that is exactly what it is. The consumption of alcohol is not required to sustain life, it is an option.
When one makes a choice to go out drinking, there are also options as to how to safely return home. In Mason City, one can designate a driver, call a cab, or walk. Those too are choices.
It is an unrealistic expectation that a small town like Mason City will ever have 24/7 bus service like Chicago.
Lowering the blood alchol content from .08 to .05 would result in more arrests and convictions I really dought it would results in less crashes and fatalities. The real question here is why is any level of imparement acceptable? Driving takes concentration and alertness, its tough enough with no drinks, 1 drink, 2 drink or whatever amount of alcohol is in your system.
@common sense man-It is a witch hunt. They have bled tobacco until there is nothing left to get and now they are going after alcohol again. When they get all they can get out of that they will go after obese people. They are already starting to set that up.
Its all about the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Nothing more
Dr. Esposito is not a law enforcement officer, nor does he have any connection to any such agency.
He is very highly regarded in his field, and to be honest, one could trust his acumen in a Level One Trauma Center versus your limited experience (assuming you have any ER/Trauma/Surgical knowledge – much less in a Level One Trauma setting).
With that basis, I believe he has a lot more credible background to addressing policy standards than most reading this article.
Like it or not, it’s the law. Break the law, take the chance. It’s really very simple.
Put everyone in a glass bubble and do not let them out until they die. That way you can be sure they are safe and won’t hurt anyone else. What a bunch of idiots.
So in your mind if sick patients use cannabis in there own homes, you hate that. You don’t like it one little bit!
However if we say you can’t get buzzed on booze and drive, well you’re against that!
Total BS, you don’t know the difference between what you think and a sack of rocks.
@huh-what in the hell are you talking about. This article is about alcohol and has nothing to do with pot. Are you still high from last night? Smoke another joint and go back to bed. It will be better tomorrow.