Legislators need to back off BAC reformLegislators need to back off BAC reform

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Over a decade ago, public safety advocates convinced Congress and state lawmakers that lowering the legal limit from 0.10- to 0.08-percent blood alcohol content, or BAC, would save 500 to 600 lives per year. But lowering the legal limit hasn’t been the promised panacea to our nation’s drunk-driving woes.

The raw number of deaths related to drunk driving has fallen dramatically in the past 15 years, but this declining fatality rate has mirrored the overall decrease in traffic deaths. As vehicle safety technologies like air bags and other impact reduction features improved, and Americans increased their use of seat belts and car...