Posted by Phil Lee (216.250.238.161) on February 10, 2001 at 12:25:
From the College of Journalism, Capital News Service on, Thursday, January
28, 1999.
^CNS-Alcohol Limit,740<
^Battle Begins to Lower Alcohol Limit for Drivers<
^By MELINDA DESLATTE=
^Capital News Service=
ANNAPOLIS For the third time in as many years, Maryland legislators
will try to make .08 the blood alcohol level at which a driver is
considered drunk.
Backers are optimistic that this time around they'll be successful in
dropping the limit from .10. Committees have changed, but more important,
President Clinton has promised highway funds to states that adopt the
lower limit.
"I think all parties have made a good case for it this year," said
Sen. Leo Green, D-Prince George's, vice chairman of the Senate Judicial
Proceedings Committee, which will review the legislation. "Also, this time
highway funds are connected to it, which is important."
Last year, President Clinton approved a bill giving additional
highway funds, totaling more than $2 million annually for five years, to
those states that adopt a .08 blood-alcohol limit for drivers.
"That money surely could be used to make our highways safer," said
Delegate William Bronrott, D-Montgomery, a strong supporter of the
legislation.
"The language in my bill specifically states that we want to be
eligible for the highway funds," said Sen. Ida Ruben, D-Montgomery,
co-author of one of the three .08 bills expected to be introduced this
year. Ruben co-authored similar legislation in 1997 and 1998 as well.
Two of the bills have not yet been introduced, so it's unclear what
the differences among them will be.
On average, a 170-pound man drinking four 12-ounce cans of beer in an
hour on an empty stomach would have a blood- alcohol level of .08,
according to Tom Howarth, Washington, D.C., liaison with Mothers Against
Drunk Driving. A 137- pound woman would reach the limit by drinking three
12-ounce cans of beer under the same circumstances.
Sixteen states have a .08 limit, including Virginia, according to
Cathy Chase, director of state affairs with Advocates for Highway and Auto
Safety, a lobbying group supporting the legislation. The district council
in Washington, D.C., has passed a similar measure that is awaiting the
mayor's signature and approval by Congress.
Attempts to pass similar bills failed in 1997 and 1998. Both times,
they did not move beyond the House and Senate judicial committees, the
same committees to hear this year's .08 bills. Now, however, delegates and
senators are resurrecting the bills, hoping that different committee
compositions will mean a favorable vote.
"I do think it can get passed this year," said Sen. Gloria Lawlah,
D-Prince George's, author of one .08 bill. "We have a strong contingent in
the House as well as the Senate this year that will help to get it passed.
I think last year we had a problem with that."
Gov. Parris Glendening supported past bills and supports current
efforts, according to Donald Vandrey, with the governor's press office.
"He's very much in favor of the reduction of a legal limit in an
effort to save lives," he said.
"The U.S. has the most lenient definition of driving while
intoxicated. This .08 law would draw a very solid, legal line," Bronrott
said. "That's not pulling a number out of a hat. It's based on medical
community numbers and scientific research."
Mothers Against Drunk Driving, a group that has lobbied strongly for
the past bills, supports the current legislation, saying that more than
600 lives could be saved annually if all states enacted .08 laws.
"We're going to give this everything we have," said Annie Powell,
executive director of the Central Maryland Chapter of MADD. "This is our
main focus this year."
Not all groups are supportive, though. The National Beer Wholesalers
Association in Alexandria opposes .08 legislation, citing a Highway Safety
Research Center Report. The November 1998 report, prepared for the
National Highway Safety Administration, evaluated North Carolina's .08 law
that was enacted in 1993.
The report found lowering the blood-alcohol limit on drivers had "no
clear effect on alcohol-related crashes."
"We believe .08 does not save lives," said Gary Zizka, a local
representative of the beer wholesalers. "If enforcement efforts were
focused on hard-core drunk drivers, it would save more lives."
Liquor and hospitality groups are afraid they are the targets of such
laws, but that is not the case, Ruben said.
"This is not a drinking bill," Ruben said. "This is a
drinking-and-driving bill. This is not targeting social drinkers. All you
have to do is not get behind the wheel."