Advocates were at the Capitol on Wednesday urging lawmakers to lower the Blood Alcohol Content, or BAC, limit to 0.05.
The push comes as traffic fatalities continue to rise, and supporters say this change could help reverse that trend.
“Let me be clear – .05 saves lives,” Leah Walton, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said.
The law would not change existing laws around drunk driving, including the BAC limit for driving under the influence being 0.08.
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The bill would instead create a “driving while ability-impaired" offense for drivers with a BAC between 0.05 and 0.08.
Those drivers would not face criminal charges, but they can have their licenses suspended for 45 days and face other penalties.
Additionally, the reporter would require the Department of Transportation to make annual reports to the legislature around technology to determine if drivers are impaired by marijuana at the time of a motor vehicle stop.
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Currently, no reliable test exists.
Utah has lowered its BAC limit, but Rep. Matt Ritter (D-House Speaker) said he’s not in favoring of making a similar change.
“I think the federal government has set a standard, and if you’re going to so something, it’s best to do it regionally,” he said.
Some Republicans, meanwhile, said the change would do much to make roads safer.
According to Connecticut’s Crash Data Repository, there have been 87 traffic deaths in Connecticut through April 10. That’s up from 78 last year and continues an overall upward trend in recent years.
Republicans said the focus should be on cracking down on speeding and on drivers who smoke marijuana while driving.
“I hear from my constituents is they can’t and role their window down and get on the highway without smelling pot,” Rep. Vincent Candelora (R-Minority Leader) said.
