With the new year, there are a number of priorities around safety on the road. That includes the potential to drop the legal blood alcohol level.
A new year means new priorities in Hartford, and one emerging priority is roadway safety.
Connecticut is coming off a deadly year on the roads - nearly 330 people were killed in 2024. It's the second highest amount in decades.
Over the holiday weekend, two wrong-way arrests were made, according to state police, and the CT Department of Transportation reports over 10 wrong-way detection system activations or reports.
One was caught on dash camera of a state police cruiser. An alleged drunk driver going the wrong way on Route 9 in Old Saybrook. The driver was turned around, stopped and arrested.
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“I feel safe sometimes, but sometimes its a little crazy, a little crazy on the roads,” Jamik Mosley, of Newington, said when asked about how he feels on the road.
He said anything to increase driver safety is welcome to him.
“There is a drunk driving problem here in Connecticut,” Josh Morgan, spokesperson for the CT DOT, said.
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The DOT has recommended a lower legal blood alcohol content level to help break a bad trend of high annual roadway deaths. They note, based on their crash and death data, 30 to 40% of deaths involve an impaired driver.
Morgan noted its important to realize they aren’t trying to deter drinking, but if you drink at all, you shouldn’t get behind the wheel.
“It’s not telling people don’t drink, you absolutely can, but you need to make sure you are OK to operate your vehicle,” Morgan said.
Last year ended with close to 330 deaths, and already in 2025, the state has hit double digit deaths, in only 21 days.
“We are looking for anything that we can do, technology, legislation, partners in law enforcement, anything to make our communities safer is a worthwhile investment,” Morgan said of the full slate of legislative priorities.
At the capitol, some lawmakers have similar ideas.
“We are all seeing the data, we are seeing an increase in traffic related fatalities, we are seeing incidents of crashes,” Sen. Christine Cohen (D-Guilford) said.
She believes this could be the year a lowered BAC crosses the legislative finish line. The official pitch is to drop it from the current legal limit of .08 to .05.
“We just don’t want you to get behind the wheel of a car, so this is really about deterrence,” Cohen said.
The lower BAC topic has come up in legislative sessions past. At the time, opposition has ranged from a need for increased emphasis on enforcement, not changes to BAC, and impacted alcohol sales or inequitable enforcement depending on body type.
At the national level, restaurant associations have come out against the change concerned about impacts to sales. We reached out to the Connecticut Restaurant Association but haven’t heard back.
But advocates for the change said its important everyone feel safe on the road when they get behind the wheel, and some drivers agree.
“I don’t think you should drive drunk at all…no drinks, shouldn’t have no drinks while driving that’s my view,” Mosley said.
Law enforcement at the state level also agree with the potential change. The commissioner of the CT Department of Emegency Services and Public Protection, Ronnell Higgins, issued the following statement:
“As an agency, we are dedicated to ensuring the safety of our roadways by making data-driven decisions and leveraging existing resources and innovative technology. We remain focused on addressing the root causes of reckless driving and contemporary issues like street takeovers organized via social media as we take a holistic approach to highway safety. Giving state troopers more tools to reduce reckless driving is critical. For example, we strongly endorse the state Department of Transportation’s proposal to lower the legal limit for a driver’s blood alcohol concentration from 0.08% to 0.05%.
We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to collaborate with legislators and sister agencies to craft a comprehensive solution to enhance road safety and help us achieve our shared goals. We believe that by working together, we can make significant strides in improving road safety for all.”
We also checked in with the ACLU of Connecticut. They said they are still working on better understanding the issue. They are looking into all aspects and perspectives, as well as talking with policymakers and advocates.
