Fewer drunken drivers cited

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, September 12, 2001

Associated Press

OLYMPIA — Washington state’s decision to lower the legal drinking limit has caused a surprising, if slight, drop in the number of drunken drivers nabbed by state troopers and local police.

The state lowered the maximum legal blood alcohol level from 0.1 to 0.08 on Jan. 1, 1999. At the time lawmakers were considering the crackdown, critics worried that the change would flood the courts, but backers said it was more important to get drunks off the highway.

But records released by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission this week showed that fewer, not more, drivers have been caught in the wider net.

The tougher standard has caused a leveling off, and a slight decline, in the number of citations: 37,661 last year, down about 1,000 from 1998. Statewide, 2,576 drivers last year registered between .08 and .10. They were involved in 292 accidents.

Most of the citations for driving under the influence and accidents still involved people who tested at .10 and over.

The overall improvement came despite the sterner definition of drunken driving, heavy spending on DUI emphasis patrols, and growth in the number of drivers and overall miles driven, said commission spokeswoman Jonna VanDyk.

The commission attributes the mildly encouraging trend to greater public awareness, credited n large part to new DUI roadway signs that went up around the state when the new law went into effect, she said. The state Liquor Control Board also has done a good job of training bartenders and servers about overserving, she said.

The debate over the change apparently raised the visibility of the issue with the average motorist, she said.

"It’s all about educating people," said Capt. Eric Robertson of the Washington State Patrol. "This is good news."

A survey done for the commission this summer showed that 88 percent of the respondents know the legal limit, and more than half correctly answered that the limit is two or three drinks, depending on the person’s size and weight.

The number of fatal accidents involving alcohol also has gone down slightly. In 1998, the year before the change went into effect, 257 of the 907 drivers in fatal crashes were driving under the influence of alcohol, or 27.6 percent. Last year, the number dropped to 234, out of 865 drivers, or 27.1 percent.

The average DUI conviction last year was for a driver with a .14 percent blood alcohol level, down from .15 percent the previous year.

The barrage of road signs and the frequent crackdowns by law enforcement can only do so much, and a deep societal change is needed, VanDyk said.

"You can put 10 gazillion officers out there … but if we are succeeding in getting a behavioral change" it’s because individual motorists are changing their patterns, she said.

VanDyk said the average citizen is increasingly aware of the high cost of getting nailed for DUI. A conviction can easily cost a defendant $5,000 in fines and attorney fees, as well as treatment costs and higher car insurance rates, she said.

Driver’s licenses are suspended for at least 30 days and a jail term of up to a year can be imposed. Home monitoring and an ignition interlock can be required, and most convicted drivers have to spend a night in jail.

The penalties get stiffer for subsequent convictions. Drivers convicted for a third time, for instance, with a blood alcohol level of .15 percent or higher, will spend at least 120 days in jail, be on home monitoring for 150 days, pay fines and fees of up to $8,125, lose their driver’s license for four years, be required to have a drug and alcohol assessment, and be on probation for five years.

For drivers under 21, the alcohol limit is .02 — basically one beer. The driver’s license is suspended for 90 days on the first incident. A second conviction brings a one-year suspension or until the driver is 21, whichever is longer.

Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.