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

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GOOD.

If you're drinking more than a sip don't fucking drive. It's 2017, it's not hard to find a ride you cheap fucks. If you're too cheap to get a ride drink at home.

If anything it's insane that so many repeat drunk drivers avoid jail time despite playing Russian roulette with stranger's lives.
 

Boney

Banned
No, you felt "fine". You don't know if you would have reacted slower if it was needed. People overestimate their abilities all the time when it comes to alcohol.
Right, 0,02 isn't going to make you trip all over yourself without a sense of balance, but it will reduce your reaction times considerably. It's still inside acceptable parameters, hence why no country has it at 0, but the gross ignorance being displayed here, a place that seemingly prides itself for being above ignorant people, is astounding
 

Future

Member
OP says he was illegal after a16oz Bud Light.

OP, I don't care what you "feel", like.. your response timing, reflex and observation are all impaired with even one drink. Get off the road. You can literally say "hey Siri/Google, get me an uber to go home" and bam!!! You are home with no hassle and no concern a short while later.

We live in an era where there shouldn't be one person on the road who was drinking, driving a car. There are way too many better, safe and not very expensive options. And even if $15 isn't cheap to you, it sure beats the mounting trouble you can get into getting into an accident. Did you know the .08 BAC only matters when it comes to OWI? If you are at .04 and get into an accident, depending on the severity of the accident that .04 can come to hurt you horribly in a civil case.

The real problem though is people driving themselves to restaraunt. It's easy to get that Uber if you didn't drive. If you drove, no one wants to leave their car behind because it's too much of a hassle. So people take the risk, cuz many aren't that responsible. Even if you are responsible, drinking is such a social activity that people find themselves in that situation without meaning or expecting to.

The real question to me is how much does do changes like this affect the numbers of DUIs? Does it effectively curb people from drinking and driving? Or does it just cause more arrests
 

Paltheos

Member
I'm having the greatest amount of fun substituting 'alcohol' for 'gun in these sentences and imagining the bizarre juxtaposition of usual attitudes. "Why can't I go out and get a [gun]? I can handle it this is ridiculous!"

I mean, I don't have any statistics to support a position. It's just a neat departure from GAF's usual stance.
 

TyrantII

Member
Right, 0,02 isn't going to make you trip all over yourself without a sense of balance, but it will reduce your reaction times considerably. It's still inside acceptable parameters, hence why no country has it at 0, but the gross ignorance being displayed here, a place that seemingly prides itself for being above ignorant people, is astounding

That's correct, but the question then become what is an acceptable level of impairment, when also tested against other sorts of impairment, both natural and caused.

Blasting music causes a certain amount of impairment. Talking on a phone, even hands free. Being tired. Hell, being emotional.

That's sort of the point of the line. They're finding a level of impairment where it become a public issue. Anyways, these laws are to give people guidelines and to err on the side of caution, which they should heed. 80/20 rule, 80% this will be a problem for are 20% of the population and a law like this isn't going to stop them. They need medical services to treat their addiction and the underlying problem they're self medicating for.
 

Skinpop

Member
0.05 is still pretty high and 0.08 is just insane. Looking at the stats usa has around 2-3x traffic related fatalities per 100k vehicles compared with much of europe. If I'm not mistaken traffic accidents actually increased last year in the US, while in most of the world it's decreasing.
Where I live it's socially unacceptable to drive after even one beer so it's shocking to me that people in here talk about drinking three then taking a drive. I guess it's like your relationship with guns...

Too many people seem to think that they're fine. They're somehow the special one that can drink a bit and get on the road without being affected.

it's the "responsible gun owner" of drunk driving..
 
Four things:

- I always did know that being one or more drinks in before driving was a bad idea for me personally, so I didn't do it.

- Utah's self-righteous morality legislation will never cease to piss me off.

- Utah needs better public transportation before they can do this and brag about it. But I guess they figure that ride-sharing apps have taken the onus off of the state/local government.

- The prohibition mentality is alive and well in this thread.
 

TyrantII

Member
0.05 is still pretty high and 0.08 is just insane. Looking at the stats usa has around 2-3x traffic related fatalities per 100k vehicles compared with much of europe. If I'm not mistaken traffic accidents actually increased last year in the US, while in most of the world it's decreasing.
Where I live it's socially unacceptable to drive after even one beer so it's shocking to me that people in here talk about drinking three then taking a drive. I guess it's like your relationship to guns...

Wide open spaces and car culture.

My father has stories from the 1970s of people being pulled over in 500 horsepower muscle cars drunk with beer in the car and the police would just make them empty it and go home.

Those people are still around. Somehow.
 
Too many people seem to think that they're fine. They're somehow the special one that can drink a bit and get on the road without being affected. So if this even makes a tiny dent in the number of drunk drivers then I'm ok with it.
I don't give a crap about how people think it's impeding on their fun. Alcohol and driving kill far too many people. It's stupid and completely avoidable.
 
I'm having the greatest amount of fun substituting 'alcohol' for 'gun in these sentences and imagining the bizarre juxtaposition of usual attitudes. "Why can't I go out and get a [gun]? I can handle it this is ridiculous!"

I mean, I don't have any statistics to support a position. It's just a neat departure from GAF's usual stance.

I had fun imagining people going to a "Non-white person voted for Trump, is now surprised about that not working out well for them" thread to laugh at how stupid that person is, and then coming here to post "Why is this affecting me though?? Sure, I drink before driving, of course, but me doing it is a completely different thing!
 
Four things:

- I always did know that being one or more drinks in before driving was a bad idea for me personally, so I didn't do it.

- Utah's self-righteous morality legislation will never cease to piss me off.

- Utah needs better public transportation before they can do this and brag about it. But I guess they figure that ride-sharing apps have taken the onus off of the state/local government.

- The prohibition mentality is alive and well in this thread.

I mean if you want to go out and drink feel free. Just sober up before you get in a car and drive. You act like people just have no choice but to drive with booze in their system and that being against that is a pro-prohibition argument. It's not. One can be for drinking yet before drinking responsibly.
 

BearPawB

Banned
Everyone should buy a decent breathalyzer. I don't drink much anymore. But there are times when I thought I was fine, but was over by a bit and waited it out because of what the breathalyzer said
 
http://www.medicaldaily.com/one-thi...-drivers-yet-4-million-americans-still-347006
alcohol-impairment.jpg

Loss of judgement after two beers?

Are you a child lol?
 

NandoGip

Member
Im sure this has bene brought up in the thread, but the rule change isnt for any sort of altruistic reason like eliminating DUI's but its another way that the Mormon church is flexin its muscles in UT.

I lived there briefly and its unbelievable the laws they had with the intention to steer young men away from normal lives so that the chance of them going on missions goes up.

The whole goal is to take away an influence that could make a young man away from the church. It hurts the churches bottom line because a young man who goes on a mission is likely to pay tithes for the rest of their life.
 

pringles

Member
A single drink though? This completely eliminates the possibility of having dinner and a drink out at a restaurant.
Funny how people in many countries seem to be able to work around this "problem" but in the US it's impossible.

But just keep doing what you guys are doing, it seems to be working.
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article...-motor-vehicle-crash-deaths-20-countries-2013
Two factors contributing to the U.S.’ relatively high death rate were drunk driving and a comparatively low seat belt usage, according to the CDC report.
 

Draft

Member
Get pulled over for a DUI you are probably well above .08 anyway, so the difference between that and .05 is purely philosophical.

Still tho, the number of teetotalers ITT who take a cab after their two drink dinner. My goodness, what sweet summer children.
 

marrec

Banned
Going by this info graphic people are getting upset over one whole beer.

Y'all. You can have one less beer at the bar, your friends house, wherever you go where you're going to drink. Plus ABV% plays a part here too. 3 bud lights are not the same thing as 3 glasses of wine.

Well and also, like... just wait around a bit you know?

If this change from .08 to .05 is really going to affect anyone's life, then they can just wait an hour and boom, they're legal. Jesus christo y'all it ain't that hard.

Like, are there people out there in Utah who're really sweat like "oh shit I normally drive home at a .07 but now I'm going to go to jail woah is me"

Get pulled over for a DUI you are probably well above .08 anyway, so the difference between that and .05 is purely philosophical.

Still tho, the number of teetotalers ITT who take a cab after their two drink dinner. My goodness, what sweet summer children.

Ya listen y'all, I and most other people have gotten behind the wheel after an IPA and a plate of nachos at Dave and Busters and I'd like to apologize
 

Boney

Banned
Loss of judgement after two beers?

Are you a child lol?

Are you? Loss of judgement is related to quick decision making not "I bet I can make that 12 feet jump"

That's under the 0,02 bracket that is legal to drive anywhere, but the risks of doing so are severely elevated due to some motor deficiencies. I'm not saying don't even kiss your partner if he/she had a drink and you're driving, I'm just putting into context how piling up drinks affect you. After 0,055 the risk is substantial, hence why most of the world has moved to that as the ceiling.
 
When I came to California I had to take a test for my driver's license. One of the questions was the legal limit. Having lived in a .05 country all my life I had to stop and correct myself because I was suddenly in a .08 state. It was weird knowing that people could legally drive whilst being so intoxicated.
 

ZOONAMI

Junior Member
Good. At this point you may as well just say no drinking and driving though imo. Even one pint of beer would probably put most people right around .05.
 

ZOONAMI

Junior Member
Get pulled over for a DUI you are probably well above .08 anyway, so the difference between that and .05 is purely philosophical.

Still tho, the number of teetotalers ITT who take a cab after their two drink dinner. My goodness, what sweet summer children.

Uhh, depending on the drinks and body weight you might be right around .08 after only 2 drinks. You can also get a DUI even if you are under the limit.
 

ahoyhoy

Unconfirmed Member
Get pulled over for a DUI you are probably well above .08 anyway, so the difference between that and .05 is purely philosophical.

Still tho, the number of teetotalers ITT who take a cab after their two drink dinner. My goodness, what sweet summer children.

Yeah id be interested to see the stats on accidents caused by people who blew between 05 and 08. If it's appreciably higher than those below 05 I do feel like Utah has a point.
 
Get pulled over for a DUI you are probably well above .08 anyway, so the difference between that and .05 is purely philosophical.

Still tho, the number of teetotalers ITT who take a cab after their two drink dinner. My goodness, what sweet summer children.

Sweet children like the guy that ran over and killed my friend while blowing a .06.

This thread is crazy to me. Don't drink and drive. If you drink at the bar, call a cab.
 
I mean if you want to go out and drink feel free. Just sober up before you get in a car and drive. You act like people just have no choice but to drive with booze in their system and that being against that is a pro-prohibition argument. It's not. One can be for drinking yet before drinking responsibly.

Yup. I'm in a state with rather draconian alcohol laws. We voted to progress in some areas, but still won't be at a decent spot even after these take affect.

I like to drink socially. I'm going out Saturday and most of us will probably be having a lot to drink. It will be fun. But I absolutely support stricter drunk driving laws. It's absolutely ridiculous how lenient they are in many cases.

And yeah, I support far stricter laws about cell phone use while driving, too. Driving is dangerous, but we can take measures in certain areas to lower the danger. I long for the day when we can remove Jimmy's overconfidence about his drunken state from the equation entirely. But until we can, tightening the laws is one of the best steps available.
 
I'm not really up in arms about moving the limit to .05, but it's really surprising how many teetotalers there are. A single beer with dinner at a restaurant isn't going to impair you to the point where you're considered a danger on the road, which is a standard every western country accepts.

If we're splitting hairs about how much your judgement or reaction times are affected by one or two beers over a several-hour period, there should be a much broader discussion about who we are allowing on the roads -- individuals under 25, individuals over 60, individuals with all sorts of disabilities that are currently allowed to drive, etc.
 

Draft

Member
Sweet children like the guy that ran over and killed my friend while blowing a .06.

This thread is crazy to me. Don't drink and drive. If you drink at the bar, call a cab.
I am sorry about your friend.

I support rational and effective laws to prevent drunk driving.

Expecting Americans to use cabs or public transportation if they have even a single drink is completely unrealistic. Millions of Americans, probably the majority of Americans, need to use a personal vehicle to get from their home to retail areas with bars and restaurants. They aren't calling cabs (cabs may not even be available,) they aren't waiting for buses (ditto,) and they aren't walking or riding a bike for several miles.

Millions of people have a drink or two then drive themselves home safely every single day. Laws meant to protect the public from drunk driving need to recognize that fact.
 
So reading through this thread has me feeling all guilty now, thanks guys haha.

No, but seriously, I think I need to reconsider what I could potentially do to myself or others even after 1 beer. I delved deep into this rabbit hole and found myself reading stories of loved ones lost due to drunk drivers, and even those who were like me and had just one or two beers at dinner and drove home. I'm not about to be part of any of those stories.

In a way I'm glad I posted this thread, as it's been an eye-opener for me, yet I'm embarrassed because of what I wrote last night. Lol
 

Mendrox

Member
I am sorry about your friend.

I support rational and effective laws to prevent drunk driving.

Expecting Americans to use cabs or public transportation if they have even a single drink is completely unrealistic. Millions of Americans, probably the majority of Americans, need to use a personal vehicle to get from their home to retail areas with bars and restaurants. They aren't calling cabs (cabs may not even be available,) they aren't waiting for buses (ditto,) and they aren't walking or riding a bike for several miles.

Millions of people have a drink or two then drive themselves home safely every single day. Laws meant to protect the public from drunk driving need to recognize that fact.

Is it allowed to ride a bicycle drunk in America? What the hell? Also yes, millions of other people use exactly these methods of transport in other countries.
 
I'm 210lbs+ at 6 foot tall.
I can't handle booze, one and half beer = nap time, give me my pillow

the new ruling is reasonable for the reality that people like me can't handle alcohol well
 
I'm having the greatest amount of fun substituting 'alcohol' for 'gun in these sentences and imagining the bizarre juxtaposition of usual attitudes. "Why can't I go out and get a [gun]? I can handle it this is ridiculous!"

I mean, I don't have any statistics to support a position. It's just a neat departure from GAF's usual stance.
It's just your typical cognitive dissonance being illustrated. Reality is a bitch and few have the will to see past their own bias (or vices in some cases) towards a reality intended to save lives.

Though I wish we addressed using your phone while driving as just as severe because that's another very real issue. It's time we push automated driving tech which will save so many lives because we'd be avoiding these distractions.
 
I'm not really up in arms about moving the limit to .05, but it's really surprising how many teetotalers there are. A single beer with dinner at a restaurant isn't going to impair you to the point where you're considered a danger on the road, which is a standard every western country accepts.

If we're splitting hairs about how much your judgement or reaction times are affected by one or two beers over a several-hour period, there should be a much broader discussion about who we are allowing on the roads -- individuals under 25, individuals over 60, individuals with all sorts of disabilities that are currently allowed to drive, etc.
None of these conditions are a choice, and when it comes to things like elderly drivers, the option not to drive was taken away from them with the creation of the interstate highway system and our dependence on cars above literally all else.
 
I am sorry about your friend.

I support rational and effective laws to prevent drunk driving.

Expecting Americans to use cabs or public transportation if they have even a single drink is completely unrealistic. Millions of Americans, probably the majority of Americans, need to use a personal vehicle to get from their home to retail areas with bars and restaurants. They aren't calling cabs (cabs may not even be available,) they aren't waiting for buses (ditto,) and they aren't walking or riding a bike for several miles.

Millions of people have a drink or two then drive themselves home safely every single day. Laws meant to protect the public from drunk driving need to recognize that fact.

Wait one hour per drink. Why is this hard? If you can't do that don't drink. Or drink at home.

....the fuck? How is that hard? Or some burden on people?
 

CTLance

Member
The problem with alcohol is that accidents involving at least one drunk party are vastly more dangerous.

I can only quote German numbers from here:

For the whole of Germany in 2015, focusing on traffic accidents only:
For every 1000 accidents resulting in bodily harm, alcohol-related cases resulted in 19 deaths and 347 heavily injured.
The average across the board is 11 deaths and 222 heavily injured per 1000 accidents resulting in injury or worse.

So nearly twice as many deaths and roughly 50% more heavily wounded people each.
7.4% of all deaths in accidents involve alcohol. That's a disproportionately huge amount.

And that's at the 0.05/0.03% legal limit, as outlined in my earlier post.

In Germany, around 1.5% of all accidents total, and 4.1% of all accidents resulting in injury involved drugs (including alcohol). So another significant boost there. More than double, close to triple.

Really, don't drink and drive, even if you think you're still good to go. It's the safest choice - you just don't realise how impaired you are.

If you absolutely must, stop after two beers at most (and make sure you also eat something alongside while taking your time). Afterwards, keep to one beer or less per hour (or the equivalent in alcoholic beverages). That's a very rough approximation, mind. However, it's not terribly restrictive. And frankly, ideally you'd let someone else drive you home at that point, anyway. I know it's not always practical, but do strive to keep your fellow countrymen out of harms way, please. And yourself. But that's a given, I hope.
 
The number of people defending drunk driving in here is astounding. It's selfish to think that any amount of impaired driving is okay. .05% should be the law, period.

I was hit by a drunk driver years ago and my life hasn't been comfortable since. Hell, I stopped drinking all together because of the accident.
 
T

thepotatoman

Unconfirmed Member
In colorado, .05% is driving while impaired, which carries fewer penalties than the .08% driving while intoxicated. I think that it's a good idea.

.08% should be felony with mandatory jail time and losing your drivers licence. .05% shouldn't be much more than be a few hundred dollar fine and community service, at least on first offense.

I know personally I stop trusting myself after about 3 beers when drinking quickly enough, which i guess is around .05%.
 
In colorado, .05% is driving while impaired, which carries fewer penalties than the .08% driving while intoxicated. I think that it's a good idea.

I know personally I stop trusting myself after about 3-4 beers when drinking quickly enough, which i guess is around .05%.

It all depends on what is quickly enough, what the size of the beer is, how much alcohol it has and how big of a guy you are.
 
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.

The law does not ban you from getting a beer with your dinner. It bans you from driving a car after said dinner if your BAC is 0.05 or over. If you're planning on getting or have already had a drink, get a DD or call a cab, uber, or some other form of public transportation. Sorry, but that's the inconvenience you'll need to endure if you're gonna try to operate a large and potentially deadly vehicle with empirically proven impaired judgment on the same roads that my friends, family, and myself have to also use. If you don't like it then no one is forcing you to drink and drive. Deal with it.
 
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thepotatoman

Unconfirmed Member
It all depends on what is quickly enough, what the size of the beer is, how much alcohol it has and how big of a guy you are.

Like 2 hours, 12 oz of 5% beer, as a 6'5 260 pound male.

I limit myself to 2 when driving 95% of the time, and never have done more than 3.
 
The law does not ban you from getting a beer with your dinner. It bans you from driving a car after said dinner if your BAC is 0.05 or over. If you're planning on getting or have already had a drink, get a DD or call a cab, uber, or some other form of public transportation. Sorry, but that's the inconvenience you'll need to endure if you're gonna try to operate a large and potentially deadly vehicle with empirically proven impaired judgment on the same roads that my friends, family, and myself have to also use. If you don't like it then no one is forcing you to drink and drive. Deal with it.

You should probably read my last post.
 
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