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State senator proposes dropping New York's blood alcohol limit

The measure has been introduced by Queens state Sen. John Liu, who says the change would bring New York in line with recommendations made by the National Transportation Safety Board in 2012.

News 12 Staff

May 21, 2021, 12:10 PM

Updated 1,274 days ago

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A new push is aiming to crack down on impaired drivers in New York by lowering the state's blood alcohol limit from .08 to .05.
The measure has been introduced by Queens state Sen. John Liu, who says the change would bring New York in line with recommendations made by the National Transportation Safety Board in 2012.
It also would eliminate driving while ability impaired, a lesser charge for drivers with a blood-alcohol level above .05 but below .08.
The more serious aggravated DWI limit would also be cut from .18 to .12.
Nassau and Suffolk logged a combined 25 DWI-related deaths since the beginning of 2019.
But Marge Lee, an activist who's been fighting against impaired driving for more than 30 years, wonders if the bill would go too far.
"I feel very strongly about drunk driving. People should not be doing it. But are we going to punish people for having a drink?" says Lee. "Bad legislation is worse than no legislation. So if there's going to be new legislation, let's make it solid legislation."
As of now, Utah is the only state with a BAC limit this low.