Utah governor says he will approve strictest DUI limit in US

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah's governor announced today he will sign legislation giving the predominantly Mormon state the strictest DUI threshold in the country, a change that restaurant groups and representatives of the ski and snowboard industry say will hurt tourism.

Republican Gov. Gary Herbert said lowering the blood alcohol limit for most drivers to 0.05 percent from 0.08 percent will save lives.

Opponents had urged him to veto the bill, saying it would punish responsible drinkers and burnish Utah's reputation as an unfriendly place for those who drink alcohol.

"People are going to try to say this is a religious issue. And that is just absolutely false. This is a public-safety issue," the governor, who is Mormon, said at a news conference.

Proponents say it will send a resounding message that people should not drink and drive – no matter how little somebody has had to drink.

Restaurant groups said they don't support drunken driving but a 0.05 limit won't catch drivers who are actually impaired.

The American Beverage Institute, a national restaurant group, took out full-page advertisements today in Salt Lake City's two daily newspapers and USA Today, featuring a fake mugshot under a large headline reading, "Utah: Come for vacation, leave on probation."

The group had urged the governor to veto the bill, and executive director Sarah Longwell called it "a total attack on the state's hospitality industry, customers and the tourism industry."