Letter to the Editor: Lowering the alcohol limit for drivers punishes the wrong people
Sunday, February 1, 2026
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As the Washington House of Representatives considers SB 5067—the bill to lower the legal BAC limit from .08 to .05—we must ask: does this actually make our roads safer, or does it simply punish the wrong people?
Lowering the limit to .05 creates a “First Drink Trap.” For many, a single craft beer or glass of wine with dinner could lead to a DUI. This results in life-altering consequences—up to $10,000 in legal fees and potential job loss—for neighbors who are not actually impaired.
Furthermore, this policy misallocates our limited law enforcement resources. We should be supporting our officers by keeping them focused on the high-BAC, repeat offenders who cause the vast majority of alcohol-related fatalities. Forcing police to spend hours on paperwork for “borderline” .05 cases diverts them from the real threats on our highways.
Finally, our local hospitality industry is still recovering from years of economic hardship. Discouraging responsible adults from enjoying a single drink with a meal will inevitably lead to more local business closures and job losses.
I urge our District Representatives to vote NO on SB 5067. Let’s focus on stricter enforcement for dangerous drivers, rather than penalizing responsible citizens.
L Gardner
Shoreline
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9 comments:
agree
I agree with you on this issue.
Commonsense from L. Gardner but there is little of that in Olympia so it will probably pass.
You make some very good points that haven't been getting enough attention in this debate. While I believe that something must be done to cut down on the number of drunk drivers on our roads, lowering the legal BAC limit from .08 to .05 might not be the solution its cracked up to be.
You know what else has life-altering consequences? Hitting someone with a car when driving under the influence of alcohol.
If you agree, write your reps.
For District 32 their email addresses can be found here:
https://senatedemocrats.wa.gov/salomon/district-team/
Yes, it's a counterproductive bill. It's not people driving around with a 0.07 BAC who are crossing the median and plowing into a family. It's people with a 0.24 on their 17th offense who haven't had their car confiscated and been sentenced to the year in jail that their crime deserves.
Habitual drink drivers should be IMPRISONED. They're a clear and present danger to everyone else in the state. But our elected leaders no longer believe in prison, so....
The limit is fine. Get a DUI and be required to spend 8 weeks in jail and a suspended license for 1 year. This will reduce driving drunk.
Why not Prohibition, while we're at it? I know someone who was dead stopped on I-5, rear-ended by a drunk, unlicensed, uninsured, with breathalyzer interlock disconnected, fled the scene, but was subsequently arrested. He won't care what the BAC limit is...
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