Season 14 • Episode 1118

Utah's .05 Legal Blood Alcohol Limit is Saving Lives

Episode Description

About this episode:

In 2018, the state of Utah became the first state in the country to lower its blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving from 0.08 to 0.05. Within a year of implementation, the state's fatal crash rate dropped by nearly 20%. So, why haven't other states followed suit? In this episode: Dr. Federico Vaca, an expert in health and transportation, takes a close look at Utah's law, why it's been so effective, and how it can serve as a national model for safer driving.

Guest:

Dr. Federico Vaca, MPH, is a physician and a professor of emergency medicine at the UC Irvine School of Medicine.

Host:

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.

Show links and related content:

Utah's Move From 0.08 to 0.05 Blood Alcohol Concentration Per Se Policy: Effects on Driver Crash Fatalities Compared With Contiguous States—American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Evaluation of Utah's .05 BAC Per Se Law—National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Utah's 0.05 BAC Law: If You Drink, Don't Drive—Utah Highway Safety Office
Alcohol-Impaired Driving—National Safety Council
For Better Health, Drink Less Alcohol—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Transcript information:

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