Lowering the Legal Limit

Lowering the legal limit for drinking while under the influence is what the National Transportation Safety Board recommends in order to maintain safety on the roads. Currently, the legal limit to drink and drive is a .08 blood alcohol level.  The NTSB is now advocating for the legal blood alcohol level to be decreased to a .05.  A .05 blood alcohol level equates to a typical 170lb man who has had about 3 beers, and a 120lb woman who has had about 2 beers. To see the effects of driving under the influence at current blood alcohol legal limits, News 8 along with the California Highway Patrol put drunk driving to the test.

 Channel 8 Newscaster Carlo Cecchetto, underwent a series of driving tasks wearing “drunk goggles” containing the vision and balance of an individual at a .07 blood alcohol level.  These tasks would be considered easy to any experienced driver.  The first test was a simple slalom course in which he knocked down 3 cones due to the influence of the alcohol stimulator.  The next test widened the course causing him to slam into a cone that in real life could be anything from a pedestrian to a street sign.  Next came parallel parking where Cecchetto thought he was parked correctly but was actually a foot out of the parking lines.  Finally, a field sobriety test was given which Cecchetto miserably failed.

It is easy to believe that driving under the influence as long as it is under the legal limit is safe, but think again.  This test proves that even someone who is below the current legal limit of .08 can experience the effects of driving under the influence.  Driving drunk not only impairs your skills on the road, but can also be the cause of many devastating accidents.

To read the original article click here.