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Senate panel hears research, survivor testimony and agency support for lowering state BAC limit to 0.05
Summary
A Senate Transportation work session reviewed data and a public survey showing majority support for lowering Washington’s per-se BAC limit from 0.08 to 0.05; law-enforcement and transportation officials framed the change as a prevention policy that would not alter stop or arrest standards.
Mark McKechnie, external relations director at the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, told the Senate Transportation Committee that alcohol was involved in 57.7% of impaired-driving fatalities in recent years and that Washington recorded 809 traffic fatalities in 2023 and 737 in 2024. He said international studies show roughly an 11% decrease in alcohol-related traffic deaths after lowering per‑se limits and described a November 2025 AAA/Washington Traffic Safety Commission survey of 850 adults that found baseline support for reducing the…
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