OLYMPIA, Wash. — State lawmakers are currently considering House Bill 2362, which aims to reduce the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers from 0.08 to 0.05.
The bill, still in committee, cites global studies indicating that lowering the limit from 0.08 to 0.05 reduces alcohol-impaired driving deaths annually by 11%.
The legislature has reported that 2023 was the deadliest year on Washington state roads since 1990, with over 700 fatal crashes resulting in more than 800 deaths. Half of these crashes involved a driver who was drunk or high, and there was an almost 60% increase in crashes involving impaired drivers between 2019 and 2023.
The House Committee on Community Safety reviewed the bill on Thursday.
Representative Jenny Graham of Spokane expressed support for the bill’s intentions but noted that, as written, it could potentially slow down the justice process.
“We do need to take the testing seriously because the toxicology labs are already overloaded,” Graham said. “If we pass this and we get a bunch more of these, it’s going to result in them walking away because you didn’t get them adjudicated within the time allotted for it.”
Other members of the committee brought up concerns about racial profiling in traffic stops, as Black and Hispanic people are stopped at far higher rates, as well as an increase in total stops, noting how it could cause overall changes in traffic enforcement.
The bill now goes to the House Transportation Committee for further review.
