Delnicki Pushes for Stricter Drunk Driving Laws

HARTFORD- State Rep. Tom Delnicki (R-South Windsor) joined representatives from the Connecticut Department of Transportation, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to share their support for lowering Connecticut’s BAC limit to .05 for driver

Delnicki said, “I stand in strong solidarity with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in their goal to reduce deadly crashes from to impaired driving. All drivers need to rethink getting behind the wheel after having a drink.”

According to the South Windsor Police Department, over the past year there has been fifty-five (55) driving under the influence arrests with approximately one-third resulting in a traffic accident.

Currently, the legal BAC limit for drivers is .08 and Connecticut ranks third nationally in fatalities due to impaired driving. Driving while impaired is the largest single contributor to road fatalities with 46% of all Connecticut traffic fatalities involving a driver with at least a BAC of .01. Studies indicate that drivers with a BAC of .08 show considerable impairment, and the risk of being killed for drivers between .05 and .79 is 7 times that of drivers with no alcohol.

As of 2023 there are more than 90 countries with a .05 BAC limit. Connecticut, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, New York and North Carolina have proposed bills to lower the limit to .05. If passed, Connecticut would join Utah who reduced their BAC limit to .05 in 2018. Once passed, Utah saw a 19.8% reduction in the fatal crash rate reduction from 2016-2019, while the rest of the United States showed a 5.6% fatal crash rate reduction during the same years.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Connecticut ranked fourth for the “highest percentage of fatal accidents caused by drunk driving” at 41 percent. The national average was 30 percent.