Comment: Driving impaired at .05 BAC; law should reflect that
Published 1:30 am Saturday, December 6, 2025
By John Lovick / For The Herald
I have spent most of my life in public safety. I was a Washington State trooper for 31 years prior to being elected Snohomish County Sheriff. Nothing is more important than keeping Washingtonians safe.
We must not only be safe, but we must also feel safe. Safe in our homes, in our schools, and on our streets. That is why I worked to pass Washington’s primary seatbelt law in 2002. Today, 95 percent of Washington residents buckle up, and more people survive collisions and avoid serious injuries as a result.
Our best public policies encourage safe and responsible behavior. One of the most tried and true policies is setting a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving. BAC laws have saved lives around the world for 90 years. The U.S. achieved significant reductions in traffic deaths when we moved from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent BAC for most adults and 0.02 percent for drivers under 21.
Norway established the first 0.05 percent BAC limit in 1936, and most of the world has followed its lead. Researchers studying countries that adopted 0.05 percent BAC laws in the 1960s through the early 2000s found an 11 percent decrease in road deaths involving a drunk driver.
Now, 150 countries and territories, ten Mexican states, eleven Canadian provinces, and the state of Utah have adopted BAC limits of 0.05 percent or less. The reason is simple: drivers are impaired at 0.05 percent BAC.
Our judgment, coordination and reaction times are measurably reduced at 0.05 percent and higher concentrations, compared to when we are sober. This makes a critical difference when we attempt the complex and unpredictable task of driving.
Impaired drivers engage in higher-risk behavior and lack the ability to react properly to dangerous situations. Serious crashes are much more likely when someone is impaired by alcohol or drugs. Studies show that drivers with a BAC between .05 percent and .079 percent are four to six times more likely to be involved in a fatal collision compared to a sober driver.
Drunk driving is a choice. You can leave the driving to a friend, family member, taxi or ride share. You can take a bus or train. There is always an alternative to driving while impaired.
Our current law on drinking and driving has not kept up with the science. I am committed to changing that. A 0.05 percent blood alcohol limit, as outlined in Senate Bill 5067, will help ensure that fewer people choose to drive after drinking. We need to change the culture of drunk driving. With this critical new law, we will avoid hundreds of senseless and preventable deaths on our roads.
State Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, represents the 44th Legislative District. He previously served as Snohomish County Sheriff and for 31 years as a trooper with the Washington State Patrol.
