Minn. Becomes Last State to Enact .08 Limit

Minn. Becomes Last State to Enact .08 Limit
August 2, 2005

News Summary

As of August 1, .08 is the blood-alcohol level at which a Minnesota driver is considered intoxicated, giving the United States a uniform standard for drunk driving.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported Aug. 1 that although drunk drivers in Minnesota traditionally faced harsh penalties, including automatic license revocation upon arrest, the state fell behind the rest of the nation in lowering its blood-alcohol standard from .10.

"It's taken a long time, but at least we can all be glad that we finally have this sensible national level," said John Moulden, former president of the National Commission Against Drunk Driving.

Some prosecutors in Minnesota expect to see an immediate impact from the new law in the form of more convictions for repeat offenses, which they say will occur faster because of the stricter standard.

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