House committee hears divided testimony on lowering DUI per-se limit to 0.05

The Community Safety Committee of the Washington House of Representatives heard extensive testimony Jan. 21 on House Bill 1315, which would lower the state's per-se blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving from 0.08% to 0.05% and make several related statutory changes.

Why it matters: Committee staff and public health and safety experts told lawmakers that a lower per-se limit is associated with fewer fatal crashes, while hospitality and alcohol-industry witnesses warned that the change could penalize responsibly drinking customers and present enforcement challenges.

At the work session that preceded the formal hearing, Dr. Tao Quanget, chief science officer for the Washington Department of Health, described how alcohol affects judgment, coordination and visual tracking. "Alcohol begins to affect the body and the brain almost immediately," Quanget said, noting that "one standard drink in one hour... can be expected to result in a blood alcohol concentration of 0.03% for an average woman and 0.02% for an average man." Mark McKechnie, external relations director for the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, told the committee that…