Effects of recent 0.08% legal blood alcohol limits on fatal crash involvement.
OBJECTIVE
This study assessed whether states that lowered legal blood alcohol limits from 0.10% to 0.08% in 1993 and 1994 experienced post-law reductions in alcohol related fatal crashes.


METHODS
Six states that adopted 0.08% as the legal blood alcohol limit in 1993 and 1994 were paired with six nearby states that retained a 0.10% legal standard. Within each pair, comparisons were made for the maximum equal available number of pre-law and post-law years.


RESULTS
States adopting 0.08% laws experienced a 6% greater post-law decline in the proportion of drivers in fatal crashes with blood alcohol levels at 0.10% or higher and a 5% greater decline in the proportion of fatal crashes that were alcohol related at 0.10% or higher.


CONCLUSIONS
If all states adopted the 0.08% legal blood alcohol level, 400-500 fewer traffic fatalities would occur annually.
Hingson
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R
Boston University School of Public Health: Social and Behavioral Sciences Department, MA 02118, USA. rhingson@bu.edu
Heeren
T
T
Winter
M
M
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D000431:Ethanol