OLYMPIA, Wash. — A proposal making its way through the Washington state Legislature this session would lower the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) for operating a vehicle from .08% to .05%.
House Bill 2196, sponsored by Rep. Brandy Donaghy (D-Mill Creek) and others, seeks to reduce the BAC limit to help prevent vehicle crashes caused by impaired driving. According to the legislation, Utah lowered its BAC limit from .08% to .05% in 2019 and found its fatal crash rate dropped by nearly 20%, and its fatality rate decreased by 18%.
"Additionally, 22% of people who drank alcohol said they changed their behavior as a result of the new law," the legislation states.
“I introduced this bill because a few years ago, Washington witnessed the deadliest year on its roads in 15 years—with a whopping 540 fatal crashes,” said Donaghy in a statement. “Sadly, half of all serious and fatal crashes are caused by driver impairment from drugs or alcohol."
