• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert Signs Bill Lowering Legal Blood-Alcohol Limit To .05%

Status
Not open for further replies.

Tagyhag

Member
You must be fun at dinners. Sorry guys, I had a glass of wine I best sleep it off under the table, I'll be leaving in the morning.

If not even thinking about potentially killing other people can't stop you from drinking before driving, even a glass of wine, you may have a drinking problem.

I'm 100% fine not having a sip of alcohol if it means I'm driving any time soon.
 

Dishwalla

Banned
In the Navy right now and for the past several years the standard is one drink an hour and three drinks a night, which is widely seen as conservative. No drinks 12 hrs prior to driving is just ridiculous, you may as well not drink at all at that point.
 

ameleco

Member
Don't 10k Americans die from DUI related crashes every year?

It's fucking hilarious they are upset about the tourism and restaurant industry. People are fucking dying. Terrorists kill 80 people in 15 years since 9/11 and we ban an entire religion. Over 150k people died in the same timespan and we are worried about restaurant profits.

Okay and how many of those were between .05 and .08? How many lives will this actually save vs how much money they want to make off it?
 
I remember when every 4 out of 5 restaurants and bars were predicted to go out of business when the no smoking laws were coming into effect.

They'll be fine.
 

UrokeJoe

Member
People who never had alcohol in their lives apparently. It seems you are a monster if you pair a steak with a beer at a steakhouse because you are inebriated. I am all for the reduction in tolerance, but the extremists get to me.

We are all hypocrites...
 

Magus1234

Member
Utah is already one of the lowest States of DUI's, all this is going to do is make some people more money at the expense of people who get busted. It doesnt prevent shit.
 
Don't 10k Americans die from DUI related crashes every year?

It's fucking hilarious they are upset about the tourism and restaurant industry. People are fucking dying. Terrorists kill 80 people in 15 years since 9/11 and we ban an entire religion. Over 150k people died in the same timespan and we are worried about restaurant profits.

I wonder how many accidents have been cause by people at .08. Like, legitimately curious because, sure, 10k Americans die a year, but I'd imagine a majority of those are caused by people who are well over the legal limit.
 

Madness

Member
Deseret News

The liquor laws here are already stupid, and now this makes Utah look even worse. So now I basically can't order beer with my dinner when I go out to eat. Fun. I guess the good thing is this won't really come into effect until Dec. 30th 2018.

Lower me to .05% if old.

Are you for real? Boohoo you can't drink and drive... there is a reason like the governor stated that 85% of the world lives in countries with 0.05% blood alcohol level content for driving. We have it in BC and it has helped get a ton of shitheads off the roads, our restaurants and bars have never been popular. With a lowered level, it makes people more cautious and less likely to drink if they have to drive.

Want to get smashed with your meal. Take a taxi, have a designated driver, take an uber etc. Lives end in a second and the last thing we need is people estimating oh you know what I only had 3 beers I am under 0.08 etc. But inevitable we'll get the it's our god given right folks talking about how it penalizes average people, not the real drunk drivers blah blah.
 

Dishwalla

Banned
This won't stop people from drinking and driving.

Nothing will stop people from drinking and driving, making alcohol illegal again won't even do it, people will still find a way. That doesn't mean there's no reason something like this shouldn't be done.
 

Fantastical

Death Prophet
Would one drink put me at that limit?
For the vast majority of adults, no. 2 drinks probably wouldn't either assuming you spread them out over an hour.
If not even thinking about potentially killing other people can't stop you from drinking before driving, even a glass of wine, you may have a drinking problem.

I'm 100% fine not having a sip of alcohol if it means I'm driving any time soon.
If you have a glass of wine at dinner you drove to you may have a drinking problem. I guess I'm in the minority to think this is insane?
 
Are you for real? Boohoo you can't drink and drive... there is a reason like the governor stated that 85% of the world lives in countries with 0.05% blood alcohol level content for driving. We have it in BC and it has helped get a ton of shitheads off the roads, our restaurants and bars have never been popular. With a lowered level, it makes people more cautious and less likely to drink if they have to drive.

Want to get smashed with your meal. Take a taxi, have a designated driver, take an uber etc. Lives end in a second and the last thing we need is people estimating oh you know what I only had 3 beers I am under 0.08 etc. But inevitable we'll get the it's our god given right folks talking about how it penalizes average people, not the real drunk drivers blah blah.

I guess I'm being a bit spoiled here, but it's just nice to enjoy a pint with my dinner at my favorite restaurant. With the possibility of me getting a DUI after one beer with dinner is just a bummer, that's all. I of course won't drive if I'm over the limit now, and I still won't when the legal limit is lowered. If I can't have a beer with dinner, then so be it.

EDIT: Apparently one beer won't get me to .05 according to some of you. If that's the case, then color me ignorant. I have only ever tested myself once, last weekend, with a breathalyzer my friend brought home from his work. I was at .06 after a 16 oz. Bud Light. Maybe it wasn't accurate, I don't know lol
 

Boney

Banned
http://www.medicaldaily.com/one-thi...-drivers-yet-4-million-americans-still-347006
alcohol-impairment.jpg
 

Cyanity

Banned
Absolutely ridiculous. Just because a tiny percentage of people can't handle themselves on a thimbleful of beer doesn't mean that the vast majority of us can't.


This is if you drink the beers all at the same time? Not even remotely indicative of reality.
 

Boney

Banned
Absolutely ridiculous. Just because a tiny percentage of people can't handle themselves on a thimbleful of beer doesn't mean that the vast majority of us can't.

This is if you drink the beers all at the same time? Not even remotely indicative of reality.
Would you like to guess how long it takes for the body to metabolize alcohol?
 

Makki

Member
Absolutely ridiculous. Just because a tiny percentage of people can't handle themselves on a thimbleful of beer doesn't mean that the vast majority of us can't.

This is if you drink the beers all at the same time? Not even remotely indicative of reality.

What is the criteria for "loss of judgment" exactly? Makes it sound like if you drink 2 beers you can be taken advantage of sexually.
 

Hazmat

Member
If you have a glass of wine at dinner you drove to you may have a drinking problem. I guess I'm in the minority to think this is insane?

You aren't, it is insane. I'm not adverse to revisiting our drunk driving laws intelligently. I'm not sure tht Utah is the unbiased source we should all follow though.
 

Boney

Banned
What is the criteria for "loss of judgment" exactly? Makes it sound like if you drink 2 beers you can be taken advantage of sexually.
It's from the CDC...
I'm appalled at the people being upset at 0,05.

And I hope you're not implying rape is the fault of someone that had a bit too much to drink.
 

MUnited83

For you.
Absolutely ridiculous. Just because a tiny percentage of people can't handle themselves on a thimbleful of beer doesn't mean that the vast majority of us can't.

Sorry to tell you, but the "vast majority" can't, which is why the limit is .05% in most countries with some sense.

Not only that, that a pretty damn dumb justification.

There are also people that can "handle" driving over the speed limit, but you don't fucking do away with speed limits because of that, do you?
 
If you're drinking because you enjoy the taste of an alcoholic beverage then you should still be able to have a drink or two with your meal and be fine.

If that's not why you're drinking, then what is the reason? Because you enjoy the slightly lowered inhibitions and social lubrication that comes from having some drinks? Because that sounds like a good reason to not drive.
 

Sakura

Member
Sounds good to me I don't see the problem.
If you want to go out and drink several beers... then don't drive?
 

Cocaloch

Member
I'm all for lowering the limit for BAC to a .05, but this country also needs way better infrastructure for public transit.
 
these things are always frustrating because they say "well it's .05 now" and then we try to figure out "well how much is .05 exactly?" and there's 100 different answers.

I will say that if you have 3 beers with a meal you shouldn't drive after that. So if that's .05 then...good rule I guess.
 

Zushin

Member
I'm kind of a bit shocked at people angry at this. It's been 0.05 here in Australia since I've been born and it's not an unreasonable limit by any means. You can have a couple of beers and you'll be under. If it saves unnecessary deaths then it's definitely worth it, especially when you can still enjoy a few beverages in moderation.
 

Fantastical

Death Prophet
I really don't have a problem with this law just the idea that a single drink with your dinner makes you irresponsible, which this law doesn't even cover.
 

Cocaloch

Member
these things are always frustrating because they say "well it's .05 now" and then we try to figure out "well how much is .05 exactly?" and there's 100 different answers.

I will say that if you have 3 beers with a meal you shouldn't drive after that. So if that's .05 then...good rule I guess.

There are lots of different answers because it depends on a lot of different factors. That infographic was probably based on a 150 pound man. Though it's really terrible of them not to include that important element. If you're an 80 pound woman you certainly should not be driving after 3 beers. If you're a 220 pound body building male you probably are okay.

I'm kind of a bit shocked at people angry at this. It's been 0.05 here in Australia since I've been born and it's not an unreasonable limit by any means. You can have a couple of beers and you'll be under. If it saves unnecessary deaths then it's definitely worth it, especially when you can still enjoy a few beverages in moderation.

Part of the reason people are upset is probably because Utah is doing it.
 

Xe4

Banned
Yeah, I'm, cool with this. 0.08% is too high. Really, any more than one beer or wine in any short period of time, and you shouldn't be behind the wheel.
 
Mhmm. Seems like the amount of alcohol needed to get to .05% is being deliberately exaggerated by lobbyists. A bunch of us including OP fell for it.

Like going by that chart I should be able to handle four beers before I get to .08%. Four beers within an hour or two is the point when I decide I'm getting drunk that night, and I can generally hold my liquor pretty well.

I mean, perhaps I'm a bit ignorant on this subject. And I'm purely basing my disappointment due to fact that a potentially inaccurate breathalyzer told me I was at .06 after a 16 oz. Bud Light.

There have been things said in this thread that I had not taken into consideration, let alone researched. Next time I think about posting a thread, I will consider doing more research first lol.

Part of the reason people are upset is probably because Utah is doing it.

This is probably true. My Facebook feed lately has consisted of people hating on the signing of this Bill, but maybe it's just because Utah has already had a record of having weird laws on alcohol.
Look up the "Zion Wall".
 
.05 is the standard in Australia.

The thing i was told at school was 2 standard drinks the first hour, 1 every hour after with water between to stay under.

Its just a basic guideline some will still be over and the rest under.
 

hirokazu

Member
In the Navy right now and for the past several years the standard is one drink an hour and three drinks a night, which is widely seen as conservative. No drinks 12 hrs prior to driving is just ridiculous, you may as well not drink at all at that point.
Ummm... one drink an hour is the recommendation to stay within 0.05 BAC. Obviously it'll vary from person to person. Suggesting no drinks for 12 hours prior is crazy.
 

Drain You

Member
I'm ok with this. I don't drink even a beer if I'm driving anyways. Just a good habit I got to at a young age and it hasn't affected me so why change now.

No one should ever drive while impaired.
 

lenovox1

Member
.05 is the standard in Australia.

The thing i was told at school was 2 standard drinks the first hour, 1 every hour after with water between to stay under.

Its just a basic guideline some will still be over and the rest under.

Australians are smaller than Americans, too, so we can have a drink more.
 

EVO

Member
these things are always frustrating because they say "well it's .05 now" and then we try to figure out "well how much is .05 exactly?" and there's 100 different answers.

I will say that if you have 3 beers with a meal you shouldn't drive after that. So if that's .05 then...good rule I guess.

Rule of thumb is two standard drinks in the first hour, then one per hour after that.

Key word being standard.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom