Fewer crashes after Utah set strictest US DUI law
SALT LAKE CITY – Traffic deaths decreased in Utah after the state enacted the strictest drunken driving laws in the nation five years ago, new research published Friday by a U.S. government agency shows.
The findings provide initial validation for conservative lawmakers who passed the law over concerns from restaurant and tourism industry lobbyists.
In the study published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, researchers wrote that, in the years after Utah changed the drunken driving threshold from 0.08% to o.05% bloodalcohol content, the number of crashes and fatalities fell even though drivers logged more miles.
“Changing the law to 0.05% in Utah saved lives and motivated more drivers to take steps to avoid driving impaired,” said Dr. Steven Cliff, the agency’s deputy administrator.
The findings mark a triumph for
Utah’s Republican-controlled Legislature, which voted to decrease the legal limit in 2017.
Restaurant and tourism industry lobbyists and other opponents argued it would be ineffective and cement Utah’s pious reputation at the expense of the growing number of visitors and residents who aren’t part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Nathan Rafferty, CEO of Ski Utah, said in 2017 that the limit perpetuated Utah’s reputation as a difficult place to have fun, but in response to the study, he applauded the findings.
“We’re glad to see that in this case the right decision was made and that Utah can continue to provide a safe environment,” Rafferty said.
Utah, where about 60% of the population are members of the faith, has long enforced some of the nation’s strictest liquor laws.
All spirits and wine are sold at staterun stores. Bartenders are required to use specialized spouts to ensure they pour specific amounts of liquor into mixed drinks. And beer can be sold in grocery stores only if its alcohol-by-volume content is less than 5%.
A church spokesman, Doug Anderson, declined to comment on the study but reaffirmed the faith’s position from 2017 when, following the passage of the policy, the church said the law “demonstrates Utah’s commitment to good public policy and to protecting people from the tragedies that come from drinking and driving.”
When the state lowered the threshold for impaired driving from the nation’s standard .08% blood-alcohol content, lawmakers argued it would make driving safer.