United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-06-23 monographic deposited born digital 34 p. GA 1.13:RCED-99-179 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-179 P0b002ee18037290d f:rc99179 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-179 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-179 RCED-99-179 Alcohol abuse Motor vehicle safety Highway safety State law Law enforcement Accident prevention Traffic violations Traffic accidents NHTSA Fatal Accident Reporting System Other Written Product RCED Most states make it illegal for someone to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .10--the level at which a person's blood contains 1/10th of one percent alcohol. However, 16 states have more stringent laws setting the limitation at .08 BAC. In 1998, the Clinton administration endorsed a bill that would have required all states to enact and enforce .08 BAC laws or face cuts in federal highways funds. GAO found that the evidence does not conclusively establish that .08 BAC laws, by themselves, reduce the number and the severity of alcohol-related crashes. There are, however, strong indications that .08 BAC laws, in combination with other drunk driving laws (particularly license revocation laws), sustained public education and information efforts, and vigorous and consistent enforcement can save lives. Until recently, only four published studies examined the effectiveness of BAC laws in five states, and, although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration characterized the studies as conclusively establishing that .08 BAC laws by themselves were effective, the studies had limitations. In April 1999, three additional studies were released that were more comprehensive and showed many positive results but also fell short of providing conclusive evidence that .08 BAC laws were, by themselves, responsible for reducing alcohol-related crashes and fatalities. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-179/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-179.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-179/pdf/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-179.pdf GAO/RCED-99-179 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-179 Other Written Product GAO/RCED-99-179; Highway Safety: Effectiveness of State .08 Blood Alcohol; Alcohol abuse Motor vehicle safety Highway safety State law Law enforcement Accident prevention Traffic violations Traffic accidents NHTSA Fatal Accident Reporting System