Advocates joins with safety partners in urging members of the Washington State House Community Safety Committee to support the enactment of House Bill (HB) 2362. This legislation will lower the per se limit of alcohol-impaired driving to .05 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC), deter drunk driving and save lives.
36%(294) of Washington traffic deaths in 2023 involved drunk driving which exceeds the national average and was a higher proportion than in all but six states. Moreover, traffic fatalities involving drunk driving increased 62 percent in the state from 2019 to 2023.
Data shows that if all states adopted a .05 percent BAC or lower law, fatal alcohol crashes are estimated to decline 11 percent, and 1,790 lives would be saved each year.
Read the full letter here.