HARRISBURG Bill lowers legal blood-alcohol limit

The law allows authorities to put ignition locks on vehicles of repeat offenders.
HARRISBURG (AP) -- A week before a federal deadline, the Senate passed a bill to lower Pennsylvania's legal blood-alcohol limit for motorists after a conference committee worked out differences with the House.
The bill was approved 47-1 without debate. It now goes to the House, which had previously passed a similar bill that ran into opposition in the Senate over the severity of punishments for certain offenders, among other things.
In addition to lowering the blood-alcohol limit from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent, the bill is a broad revision to the state's 20-year-old drunken-driving law.
It toughens penalties for drivers with especially high blood-alcohol levels and ensures that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has authority to install an ignition interlock device in the car of a repeat offender for one year whether ordered by a judge or not.
"By going to 0.08, people will be more cautious before getting behind the wheel," said Sen. Charles Dent, R-Lehigh, citing federal studies showing that lower limits correspond to safer highways. "We believe behaviors will change in the community."
Required for funds
Without a 0.08 blood-alcohol limit in force by Wednesday, the state faces losing up to $11 million in federal transportation dollars, or 2 percent of certain highway construction funds. The federal government also requires states to include an ignition interlock provision in the legislation, which has been part of Pennsylvania law for two years.
The bill sets up increasing levels of punishment for higher blood-alcohol levels -- 0.08 to 0.099; 0.10 to 0.159; and 0.16 and up -- all becoming more severe with each additional offense.
In negotiation sessions in recent months, Senate staff sought to lighten punishments contained in the House bill for some offenders.
Craig Shuey, an aide to Sen. Roger A. Madigan, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, said there were concerns that the more severe penalties would run up expenses for cash-strapped counties while doing little to stop people from driving drunk again.
In addition, the bill contains provisions to help offenders who lose their license to be able to drive sooner, but only for purposes involving their job. For instance, first-time offenders who register a blood alcohol level of 0.10 or more lose their regular license for a year, but have an opportunity to get an occupational license after a 60-day suspension. First-time offenders with a blood-alcohol level beneath 0.10 do not face losing their license.
Pennsylvania is one of the last states to process this legislation. So far, 44 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have adopted the lower blood-alcohol limit, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
A 170-pound man would reach the 0.08 limit by drinking four alcoholic drinks in an hour, while a 137-pound woman would reach the same level of intoxication after three drinks in the same period, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.