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NTSB Recommends Dropping DUI Limit To .05

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Dinnertime at Hook and Ladder in downtown Sacramento means plenty of customers drinking alcohol with their meals.

But if plans brewing in Washington to reduce the legal blood-alcohol limit for drivers go through, they better watch their lips.

"It would get in people's minds about how they are going to go about enjoying their evening," said Chris Tucker, the Hook and Ladder's beverage director.

He says plans to drop the limit from .08 to .05 will mean fewer served drinks and fewer earned dollars.

The National Transportation Safety Board made the recommendation today hoping to cut down on the number of DUI-related deaths. Each year 10,000 people die on the roads nationwide.

"A lot of bars would be transitioning to more of a restaurant, serving a lot more food," Tucker said.

Groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which started in Sacramento, say anything to lower DUI-related deaths is a step in the right direction.

"There shouldn't be a concern if you are at .05 or .08. The real issue is making the plan before you leave," said Silas Meirs.

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