OP, your title gives the limit as 0.5, which is probably enough to kill a person, hah.
That aside, the BAC limit here in BC is 0.05, and has been since 2010. Lots of complaining from liquor dealers and bars at the time, and from people whining that it would make going out for 'a drink' impossible (when, of course, one drink is perfectly fine and still under the limit for the grand majority of people - but it's never just one drink, is it?).
Things seem to have settled down, however, and from what I can remember, the stats showed a decrease in impaired-driving-related deaths by 50% or so by 2014.
That said, it helps to have a good transit system and other alternative transportation available so people can go out for a night on the town and get home safely.
Utah has a bunch of absurd laws regarding alcohol. And it's true that it is difficult for businesses to get a liquor license. I imagine tourists visiting the state would be let off with a warning but still...
Japan is even lower (0.03%, but people always told us it was just flat-out zero), and they still have a considerable drinking culture. Alternative ways to get home is definitely key.
I am completely on board with this decision, and i am speaking as a drunk who is most certainly over 0.05 as i type this. In Europe and Australia it is already 0.05 or even less. Drunk-driving in the US is out of fucking control. I know the excuse is because there isn't any decent public transport in small towns, but sorry if that comes across weak as hell to me considering driving is a privilege and drunk drivers fucking kill people. Of all the stupid things i have done in my life, probably the stupidest was my early-20s penchant to get plastered and drive the freeway alone at night. It's a miracle no one got hurt
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Thanks for providing the international perspective. I'm very strongly anti-drunk driving, but I hardly ever drink and have a hard time relating blood alcohol percentages with how much alcohol consumption a given number represents. 0.05 sounded very low to me initially, and I thought the tee totalling Mormons out in UT might be going a bit overboard, lol. But if that number (or lower) is the standard in decidedly non-tee totally places like Europe and Australia, then it's fine with me.
Honestly? For me, driving a little bit stoned makes me a better driver. It's what soothed my massive, massive road rage. It calms my impatience, it keeps me from speeding, and it keeps me from getting angry at all the other idiot drivers on the road. Seriously, I used to spend the entire time on the road cussing out other drivers and speeding/zipping in and out of traffic like I was Speed Racer. If I'm a bit stoned, I might get annoyed, but I pretty much stay in my lane and toodle along happily, even when stuck in massive traffic. *shrug* But, I also understand why it makes a lot of people nervous.
A bunch of stoner friends of mine have said the same thing. But, you know, so have a lot of friends of mine who took much harder drugs. A lot of high-functioning drug addicts are convinced they drive better when high because they are so much more "aware", or more relaxed, or less stressed, or whatever. I am not really convinced.
I definitely understand that drugs affect different people in different ways, and that there are some people for whom taking currently-illegal drugs can help them deal with everyday life better, but i would prefer that those people seek professional help and find a measured clinical solution rather than self-medicate. And even then they should be very careful. As we have seen with benzos, opiates, amphetamines etc, when doctors prescribe medication that "feels good", some patients have a tendency to abuse it, and that is most certainly going to impair their ability to operate a 2-ton rolling death machine.
I don't use any "mind altering" drugs (unless you count antidepressants, lol), but I can't help but be a teensy bit skeptical when someone says they drive better under the influence of one, even marijuana, which I firmly believe should be legalized.
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That aside, the BAC limit here in BC is 0.05, and has been since 2010. Lots of complaining from liquor dealers and bars at the time, and from people whining that it would make going out for 'a drink' impossible (when, of course, one drink is perfectly fine and still under the limit for the grand majority of people - but it's never just one drink, is it?).
Things seem to have settled down, however, and from what I can remember, the stats showed a decrease in impaired-driving-related deaths by 50% or so by 2014.
That said, it helps to have a good transit system and other alternative transportation available so people can go out for a night on the town and get home safely.
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Utah has a bunch of absurd laws regarding alcohol. And it's true that it is difficult for businesses to get a liquor license. I imagine tourists visiting the state would be let off with a warning but still...
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Thanks for providing the international perspective. I'm very strongly anti-drunk driving, but I hardly ever drink and have a hard time relating blood alcohol percentages with how much alcohol consumption a given number represents. 0.05 sounded very low to me initially, and I thought the tee totalling Mormons out in UT might be going a bit overboard, lol. But if that number (or lower) is the standard in decidedly non-tee totally places like Europe and Australia, then it's fine with me.
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I definitely understand that drugs affect different people in different ways, and that there are some people for whom taking currently-illegal drugs can help them deal with everyday life better, but i would prefer that those people seek professional help and find a measured clinical solution rather than self-medicate. And even then they should be very careful. As we have seen with benzos, opiates, amphetamines etc, when doctors prescribe medication that "feels good", some patients have a tendency to abuse it, and that is most certainly going to impair their ability to operate a 2-ton rolling death machine.
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Iawtc.
I don't use any "mind altering" drugs (unless you count antidepressants, lol), but I can't help but be a teensy bit skeptical when someone says they drive better under the influence of one, even marijuana, which I firmly believe should be legalized.
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There are worse things that can happen. Apparently there is still a law in utah that you can marry your cousin so long as you are both above 65.
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