A renewed effort to lower the legal blood alcohol threshold for drivers from 0.08% to 0.05% is being considered by Washington lawmakers this session.
On Thursday afternoon, the Senate Transportation Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 5067. State Senator John Lovick, its main sponsor, was a Snohomish County Sheriff and a state trooper for almost forty years.
According to Lovick, Washington’s roadways aren’t as safe as they ought to be or as safe as they used to be.
The Mill Creek Democrat stated, “As a state trooper, I witness driving behavior that is beyond anything I could have imagined.” Drivers are speeding inches from other vehicles, weaving erratically in and out of traffic, and passing on the shoulders, all of which could result in a fatal catastrophe.
With effect from July 1, 2026, SB 5067 would reduce the legal blood or breath alcohol concentration restrictions to 0.05% BAC for operating a vehicle or watercraft. It would mandate an assessment of the outcomes of the legislation change and launch a campaign to inform the public about the modification.
Washington would not be the first state to enact such a law if it were to become law. Utah became the first state in the country to have a BAC limit of 0.05% at the end of 2018. The majority of Western European nations already enforce BAC limits of 0.05% or less.
The Washington road Safety Commission estimates that approximately half of the 810 road fatalities in Washington state in 2023 were caused by driving while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.
The bill’s proponents claim that it will increase community safety and save lives. Critics claim that it may trap drivers who are not inebriated and have BACs below 0.08%.
Those whose family members were killed by drunk drivers spoke before a Senate committee on Thursday. Gabriel, Michael Coury’s 12-year-old son, was killed by an intoxicated driver while he was walking home from a park where he had spent the day with friends.
Speaking remotely, Coury said the committee that the anguish of losing a child in this manner is unfathomable and will never completely heal. I’m reminded every day of how pointless his death was and how it could have been avoided. The BAC level should be lowered to 0.05 in order to protect other families from suffering similar tragedies. This type of loss shouldn’t have to be endured by any family.
How inebriated is 0.05%?
A talk on impaired driving was given by James C. Fell, chief research scientist of NORC at the University of Chicago, a national opinion research center. According to him, a 170-pound man would need at least four beers over the course of two hours, on an empty stomach, to reach or surpass 0.05% BAC. Under the same circumstances, a girl weighing 137 pounds would require three drinks.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a person may feel liberated and have poor judgment at 0.05% BAC. In contrast, a person with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% may have impaired motor coordination, changed judgment and reasoning, and difficulty recognizing danger.
According to Washington State Patrol Capt. Deion Glover, drivers begin to lose their ability to react rapidly at 0.05% BAC, McClatchy said. According to him, their chances of getting into an accident are doubled.
Glover advises individuals to make a plan for their safe return home before going out and drinking. He claimed that the worst thing he had ever had to do was to approach someone at their door and inform them that their loved one would not be returning home.
According to Glover, I don’t want a family member to have to hear that story or for one of my coworkers to visit someone’s home at two in the morning or one in the afternoon the following day to inform them that, “Hey, your loved one isn’t coming home because someone made a poor decision to drive impaired.”
The adversaries
SB 5067 was opposed by representatives of the alcoholic beverage and hotel sectors.
Even if a driver’s blood alcohol content is at or below 0.05%, they can still be detained, punished, and convicted, according to Julia Gordon of the Washington Hospitality Association. However, she stated that consumers who abstain from alcohol before becoming intoxicated may now face some of the most severe DUI fines in the country.
In addition to their commitment to public safety, breweries also want to see a decrease in drunk driving, according to Daniel Olson, executive director of the Washington Brewers Guild.
Olson told the committee, “We firmly support policies that effectively address impaired driving.” However, we urge the committee not to proceed with this measure because we feel it imposes needless limitations on small businesses and responsible customers.
The News Tribune, Tacoma, Washington, 2025. Go to The News Tribune’s website. Tribune Content Agency, LLC is the distributor.
