Utah governor to sign nation’s strictest DUI limit
The American Beverage Institute, a national restaurant group, took out full-page advertisements Thursday in Salt Lake City’s two daily newspapers and USA Today, featuring a fake mugshot under a large headline read- ing, “Utah: Come for vacation, leave on probation.” The group had urged the governor to veto the bill, and executive director Sarah Longwell called it “a total attack on the state’s hospitality industry, customers and the tourism industry.” The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety applauded the move, saying it’s a “sensible solution” to deter drunk driving.
If drivers are not impaired, they won’t violate the law, according to bill sponsor Rep. Norm Thurston. The Republican says police won’t measure someone’s blood alcohol level until they have seen visible signs of impairment and the person fails a field sobriety test.
He has also pointed out that Utah led the country in 1983 by becoming the first state to lower its blood alcohol limit to 0.08 percent, and since then tourism has flourished.
Utah’s Tourism Office said it’s not concerned about the measure discouraging visitors, noting that a number of foreign countries such as France, Australia and Italy have similar laws and don’t have a problem attracting tourists. “There’s not many Mormons in Rome, and they’re doing it there,” Herbert quipped Thursday.
Across the country, the blood-alcohol content limit for most drivers is 0.08, but limits vary among states for commercial drivers or drivers who have had a past DUI conviction.
For several years, the National Transportation Safety Board has encouraged states to drop their blood-alcohol content levels to 0.05 or even lower. In Utah, the new law would take effect on Dec. 30, 2018.