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Senate passes bill to lower legal blood-alcohol limit from 0.08 to 0.05
Summary
House Bill 10.05 would change the state's driving under the influence threshold from 0.08 to 0.05 BAC; proponents cited crash-reduction evidence and examples from other jurisdictions and the chamber approved the measure.
House Bill 10.05, introduced as an amendment to related traffic statutes, passed after proponents argued lowering the legal blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) would reduce fatal crashes. Sponsor Sean Promenique cited research and international comparisons and said, "By changing the legal level from 0.08 to 0.05, this will help tremendously with fatalities behind the wheel."
Delegates who supported the bill referenced statistics on impairment and prior examples of jurisdictions that have reduced BAC limits. Opponents questioned the statutory drafting and asked whether the bill amended the correct RCW provisions; authors said the bill's text and intended RCW reference would be clarified in amendments if necessary.
Following closing remarks emphasizing impaired driving risks and the effects of lower BAC on driving behavior, the chamber voted in favor and the bill passed.
Implementation details such as an effective date and enforcement provisions will follow statutory drafting and administrative steps.
