State and federal officials on Thursday joined 海角换妻 lawmakers, road safety advocates and families of those killed by drunk drivers at the state Capitol in Hartford in support of a bill to lower the legal limit for driving while intoxicated.
would lower the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for drivers from 0.08 to 0.05, bringing 海角换妻 in line with dozens of countries around the world as well as the state of Utah, which adopted such a law in 2018.
鈥淩esearch suggests that a 0.05 BAC law would reduce fatal alcohol-related crashes by an estimated 11%,鈥� said Leah Walton, a safety advocate with the National Transportation Safety Board. 鈥淚n 2019, the year after Utah鈥檚 0.05 BAC law went into effect, the state saw reductions in crash rates overall, as well as reductions in alcohol-involved crashes.鈥�
Bob Garguilo, executive director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving鈥檚 New England region, cited a showing 鈥淯tah鈥檚 fatal crash rate dropped by 19.8% in 2019, the first year under the lower legal limit.鈥�
He said the law would save lives in 海角换妻.
鈥淏eing number three in the country [for] the highest percentage of fatalities involving impaired drivers is nothing to be proud of,鈥� Garguilo said. 鈥淪o I implore our legislators to truly consider leading this nation 鈥� following Utah, but lead New England to be the first state to take a step to save lives.鈥�
Democratic and Republican leadership of the General Assembly鈥檚 Transportation Committee attended the press conference in support of the bill.
鈥淲e need to make a conscious, cultural and societal shift that impaired driving 鈥� whether it be one drink, five drinks or 10 drinks, you are impaired,鈥� said Sen. Tony Hwang, R-Fairfield, one of the committee鈥檚 two ranking members.
But Hwang acknowledged the bill 鈥渇aces long odds this session.鈥�
Committee co-chairs Sen. Christine Cohen, D-Guilford, and Rep. Roland Lemar, D-New Haven, each said they would continue trying to win their colleagues鈥� support, but similarly recognized the bill may not make it to the governor鈥檚 desk this year.
鈥淚鈥檓 hoping to move it forward, but I also recognize that this is a very big bill,鈥� Cohen said. 鈥淭he magnitude of this and getting people behind it is very difficult.鈥�
鈥淓ven if we don鈥檛 necessarily have the votes this year,鈥� Lemar said, 鈥渨e think it鈥檚 important that all of the advocates that believe strongly in this initiative come forward.鈥�
The press conference took place one day after House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, told reporters he did not believe the bill could pass his chamber. Ritter was asked again Thursday if he thought it could pass this session.
鈥淚 think some members would support it, right, instinctively, and I think some members would say we鈥檙e way out of line with other states,鈥� Ritter said.
House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, told reporters Thursday he wasn鈥檛 sure the law would be a good idea.
鈥淭he issue of blood level alcohol [sic] and its relation to drunk driving, I think all of these accidents, people are far above the limit of 0.08,鈥� Candelora said. 鈥淪o to suggest that moving it to 0.05 is going to in some way improve 海角换妻 roadways is, I think, the issue here.鈥�
Candelora also suggested the change may discriminate against drivers based on their weight.
鈥淎 petite woman who has one glass of wine probably would be over the legal limit now, whereas a six-foot man would not,鈥� Candelora said. 鈥淪o I think there is a genuine concern: Is this going too far?鈥�
The discussion is taking place against the backdrop of two high-profile incidents involving state lawmakers driving drunk.
In March, Rep. Robin Comey, D-Branford, was arrested after flipping the car she was driving in Hartford. In January, a wrong-way driver under the influence of both alcohol and THC crashed into a car being driven by Democratic Rep. Quentin Williams of Middletown. Both drivers died; a state police report released this month revealed Williams, too, was driving drunk on his way home from Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont鈥檚 inaugural ball at Hartford鈥檚 Bushnell Theater.
Lamont has said he, like 海角换妻 Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto, supports the bill, and would sign it if it reached his desk.
