Crime & Safety

Should OUI Alcohol Limit Be Lowered To 0.05 Percent?

The National Transportation Safety Board recommends reducing the limit. Some say it would save lives. Others say it's unreasonable.

One drink could be the standard for drunken driving – at least for some people if the National Transporation Safety Board has its way.

On Tuesday, the NTSB recommended states lower the blood-alcohol threshold for driving under the influence from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent.

What do you think? Is the proposal reasonable?

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About 10,000 deaths a year are related to drunken driving. The NTSB says the lower limit would save 500 to 800 lives a year.

Officials at the American Beverage Institute called the proposal "ludicrous." It said the average woman could reach the 0.05 percent limit by having one drink.

Find out what's happening in Cantonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There were 114 OUI fatalities in Massachusetts in 2012, which were 34 percent of traffic-related fatalities last year, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

One just occurred in Canton this past weekend on Bolivar St. 

What do you think? Should the OUI alcohol limit be reduced?


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