Bill Signed Lowering Drunk Driver Blood Alcohol Level to .08%

Gov. George Deukmejian signed legislation today to lower the blood alcohol level at which a person is presumed too drunk to drive from 0.10% to 0.08%.

The drunk driving bill, SB408 by Sen. Bill Leonard (R-Redlands), will take effect next Jan. 1.

“This is a very strong signal and message to those who do drink and drive . . . that we are very serious about trying to prevent more injuries and deaths,” the governor told an audience of reporters and uniformed law enforcement officers at a bill-signing ceremony in his office.

“We are seeing a reduction in the number of traffic fatalities caused by drunken drivers, but there are still too many,” Deukmejian said, noting 2,239 deaths linked to drinking drivers on California highways last year.

“I am convinced we are going to save lives under this bill,” Leonard said. “I don’t want anyone arrested under this bill. I want people who drink to stay off the road. It’s a health problem. It’s a criminal problem.”