Bicycle Austin forum

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,466

Website

Feds push for 0.05 BAC threshold for DUI law

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/14/us/ntsb-blood-alcohol/

Comments:

(1) People already drink and drive (in violation of the existing law), so will tightening the threshold make any difference?  I guess the argument is that the lower level signals to people that even a little drinking can cause impairment, and so *some* people might choose not to drive under the new threshold after a certain number of drinks, whereas before they might have elected to drive.  But I'm skeptical.  How blitzed was Lehmberg when she was arrested?

(2) Texting and cellphone use are greater and equal risks as DUI, respectively.  We should be targeting those problems as aggressively as DUI.

(3) With all those touting hybrid and electric cars as "the answer" to the car problem, it's worth remembering that pollution and energy use are just ONE problem with automobiles.  If 100% of cars on the road were electric, we'd still have drunk drivers and cars would still kill people, whether their operators were drunk or not.  (And in any event, even the pollution- and energy-reduction value of hybrid and electric cars seems to be exaggerated anyway.)

AusTexMurf

Member

From: South Austin

Registered: 2008-11-21

Posts: 439

Re: Feds push for 0.05 BAC threshold for DUI law

Makes sense to me.
All good points.....
But, what to do ?
Legal consequences for talking/texting while driving.
Thanks, Gov.

Last edited by AusTexMurf (2013-08-22 02:04:37)