WA State Legislators Move Forward to Change DUI Law
Washington State’s new legislative session is tackling a heavy hitter early, once again proposing a stiff drop in the blood alcohol limit, as OPB.org reported in 2024. Senate Bill SB 5067 was introduced on the first day of the 2025 legislative session and was referred to the Law & Justice Committee on Tuesday, January 14th.
Lawmakers have been aiming to reduce the current BAC limit of 0.08 to 0.05, as King5 News stated. A bill was proposed in 2023 but did not pass.
Senator John Lovick states in the bill's text that “The legislature finds that a per se, 0.05 blood alcohol concentration level is the standard throughout 10 most of the world.”
The proposed law text also quotes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s findings that “a driver's risk of crash involvement at 0.05 is double the rate 20 of a sober driver.”
What Does a 0.05 BAC Limit Mean for Washington Drivers and the Economy?
Washington legislators are hoping if this bill passes, it will give drivers a greater pause before drinking and getting behind the driving wheel. They also hope to prevent vehicular injuries and deaths from alcohol-related causes.**
As mentioned in the Oregon Public Broadcasting article, Washington state hospitality employers and unions, including the Washington Brewers Guild, are concerned a lower BAC will yield the byproduct of declining revenue and greater legal ramifications for employees who unknowingly over-serve alcohol to their customers.
Sponsors of the partisan .05 DUI limit law include State Senators Liias, Lovick, and Stanford. A public hearing was scheduled Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. The video replay of the committee hearing was not readily available on the TW.org website at the time of this writing.
Utah has a similar state limit of 0.05, which is currently the lowest BAC limit in the nation.
**In 2023, around 50% of all fatal car-related deaths were caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs." - SB 5067
Let us know how you feel about this proposed change to Washington State's DUI limit.
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