State safety official doesn't want to lower DUI threshold
May 15, 2013
The director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety is discounting the National Transportation Safety Board's recommendation that states lower the blood-alcohol content for drunk drivers from the current 0.08 to 0.05.
Alberto Gutier notes that 0.08 is the presumptive criminal intoxication level but you can be charged with DUI when you're well below that.
"The person falls a field sobriety test, well the SGN test is done with pupils with a flashlight, and if they fail those tests that person can be cited a 0.06 or 0.07," Gutier said.
Gutier said he doubts state lawmakers would have the time to take the issue on, even if it were a good idea.
