Lowering legal limit for BAC will save lives

I recently attended a powerful event honoring Hannah Brown, Kahiau Hill and Kaio Fukushima, three Maui youth killed in separate incidents, each by a drunk driver. Sadly, there are many more people across Hawai’i killed or injured by drunk drivers.

There is strong public support for lowering the legal limit for blood alcohol content (BAC) while driving from .08 to .05. There is significant evidence from other states and countries that lowering the BAC saves lives and prevents injuries. Even alcohol industry giant Anheuser-Busch publicly supports a .05 BAC.

Don’t be fooled by alcohol and hospitality industry claims that lowering the BAC will decrease their profits and force layoffs. A February 2022 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report concluded that there were no negative economic impacts when Utah lowered the BAC from .08 to .05 in 2018. Per capita consumption, tourism and tax revenue actually increased after the implementation of the new law.

The good news is this week Hawai‘i’s Senate Bill 160 — lowering the BAC level to .05 — unanimously passed out of committee. When adopted this bill will make our roads safer for everyone. We thank Senator Karl Rhoads for his leadership on this. We are grateful for the support of all Judiciary Committee members who voted yes on this bill.

Please, support this important work which will save lives and make our roads safer. Contact your Hawai‘i state legislative representative. Encourage them to support all bills this session that reduce the BAC level to .05.

Michael Sparks

Kihei