Michigan’s Blood Alcohol Content limit has been .08 for many years. However one state Representative from Dearborn would like to change that. State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud has introduced a bill that would lower the BAC from .08 to .05, putting Michigan on a par with Utah, which is the only other state in the US with such a low BAC level.
Why does Rep, Hammoud want to change the BAC?
In a recent press release, Rep. Hammoud said that drunk driving must be addressed here in Michigan, since it’s a completely avoidable epidemic. “As a former public health professional, I am motivated by facts and statistics, and as a legislator I know our current policies in place to prevent drunk driving are not working, which is why we must do more.”
But lowering the BAC isn’t his only plan…
Reducing Michigan’s BAC level to .05 isn’t the only way Rep. Hammoud plans to combat drunk driving. He also included a second bill in his package that would require every single person convicted of drunk driving in Michigan to have an ignition interlock device installed on their vehicle. Studies show that ignition interlock devices on cars, which is required in 33 other states for all DUI offenders, greatly reduces the chances that they’ll drive drunk again.
How is your BAC measured here in Michigan?
Your BAC is the percentage of alcohol that’s in your bloodstream at any one time. It’s determined by dividing grams of alcohol by 100 milliliters of blood. For example, a BAC of .10 percent means that yours blood contains one part alcohol for every 1,000 parts blood. In Michigan, anyone caught driving with a BAC of more than .08 could be arrested for drunk driving, which is a serious crime in Michigan.
This isn’t the first time this reduction has been suggested.
Back in 2013, The National Transportation Safety Board suggested that states lower their legal BAC rate from .08 to .05. Believe it or not, a BAC of .05 is actually common in many other countries around the world. According to several studies, reducing the nationwide BAC levels to .05 would eliminate approximately 11% of drunk driving fatalities, which would in turn save about 1,500 lives around the US.
What would a lowered BAC mean for you?
That’s hard to answer, but in general we feel safe assuming that a change in the law of this kind would probably mean increased DUI arrests of people who weren’t a danger to themselves or others, which would be awful. Imagine having a single glass of wine at dinner in your favorite restaurant and then going to jail because of it. Or one drink with friends after work and then having to spend the weekend in jail.
The number of unnecessary arrests would probably skyrocket!
Lowering the BAC limits for Michigan drivers would mean a lot of good people getting unnecessary DUIs on their criminal record. Not fun! And when you consider the fact that Michigan is a nationally recognized craft beer and wine producing state, that would have a very negative impact on our state tourism as well!
Make sure you have the right help to fight drunk driving charges!
Regardless of the circumstances, being arrested for drunk driving in Michigan is expensive, time consuming, and extremely stressful. You’re going to need all the help you can get to fight these charges, and that’s where we come in. The skilled DUI defense attorneys at The Kronzek Firm have been helping people from all over Michigan to protect their rights and avoid unnecessary DUI charges. Whether you come from Lansing, Howell, Grand Rapids or Battle Creek, you should call our aggressive defense team 24/7 at 1 866 766 5245 (866 7NoJail) quickly, as soon as you’re ready to hire an attorney to begin fighting for you
