Critics of the measure, of which there are many, claim that the law is religiously based, given that Mormons (which make up a huge voting bloc in Utah) don’t consume alcohol. The tourism industry, including restaurants, hotels and ski lodges, are terrified that the new rule will make Utah seem uninviting, scaring away the tens of thousands of people who vacation in the state each year. In fact, one group took out ads in Salk Lake City’s daily newspaper with the troubling tagline: “Utah: Come for vacation, leave on probation.”
Those opposed to the new law say that it’s aimed at punishing those who are trying to be responsible while consuming alcohol. Rather than targeting repeat offenders or truly dangerous alcoholics, this targets those whose BAC would normally have been perfectly fine. Experts say that the new law means that a 150-pound man would be over the limit after consuming only two beers, while a 120-pound woman could be declared legally intoxicated after a single drink.
The arguments against the law didn’t seem to have much of an impact, as the legislature and governor moved forward anyway. The law is set to get into effect on December 30, 2018, giving drivers in Utah time to adjust. One group that cheered the news is the National Transportation Safety Board, which has definitely promoted states to drop their BAC to 0.05 or lower, so far to no success. The hope is that Utah’s actions pave the way for others, something that has already happened once before. That’s because back in 1983, Utah was the first state to lower its BAC limit to 0.08 from 0.10, a trend that eventually caught on.
Source: “Utah getting toughest drunken driving limit in the US,” by Michelle Price, published at StarTribune.com.