Some countries have enacted blood-alcohol limits lower than the U.S. standard of .08 percent, resulting in reductions in alcohol-related crashes and deaths, according to a new study from the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE).

"There is clear, strong evidence that lowering the BAC limit is effective," said study co-author James Fell. "Whether it's lowered from .10 to .08 or from .08 to .05, the number of deaths and injuries from drunk drinking will be reduced and lives will be saved. This latest study offers added support for lower BAC limits."

Fell and colleagues at PIRE noted that alcohol-related traffic crashes and deaths fell 7-8 percent when the U.S. lowered its BAC standard from .10 percent to .08 percent, but that countries with thresholds as low as .02 percent had experienced even more reductions.

Nations with .05 BAC standards include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Turkey. Norway, Russia and Sweden have a .02 BAC limit, while Poland's is .03 percent.

The study appears in the Journal of Safety Research (vol. 37, issue 3).