Well it didn’t take long for the ABI and Colorado to mock Utah new 0.05 law

[PorterRockwell]

http://kutv.com/news/local/utah-mocked-by-american-beverage-institute-for-attempt-to-lower-legal-limit-to-05

[PorterRockwell]

Dear Utah,

Haven’t seen you for awhile (Wyoming keeps getting between us).

Just wanted to thank you for passing the .05 BAC law. Arresting moderate social drinkers for having as little as one drink will certainly make us look more attractive to most tourists, businesses and skiers. We know you’ve always been a little “quirky” when it comes to alcohol laws, but this is really out there.

Thanks for the competitive advantage!

Sincerely, Colorado.

[Tony (admin)]

[KiYi-Ute]

Again: all this bill does is hurt tourism, hurt restaurants, and punish responsible people who want to have a drink or two with dinner.

Less than 1% of accidents where alcohol was a factor come from people with a BAC of less than 0.08. And 77% of alcohol related automotive deaths come from drivers with a BAC over 0.15 – nearly double the current legal limit.

To say this isn’t a drinking law is laughable.

Utah: Life Regulated.

[leftyjace]

For those that subscribe to the Wall Street Journal, there is a FRONT PAGE article specifically to address Utah’s ridiculous liquor laws.

The article is aptly titled “Mommy, Where Do C**ktails Come From?”

https://www.wsj.com/articles/mommy-where-do-c**ktails-come-from-1489676329

If you don’t subscribe to the WSJ and want to see the article, send me a message… perhaps we can work something out where I can show it to you.

Some highlights:

“Other states have unusual alcohol limits, including Oklahoma, which prohibits the sale of refrigerated beer higher than 3.2% in alcohol, and Pennsylvania, which bans beer sales in stores selling hard liquor. South Carolina in 2014 repealed its ban on drinking on Election Day. Massachusetts prohibits happy hours.”

“Eateries put up barriers of translucent glass, Sheetrock and other opaque material to mask mixing and pouring. When the Brio Tuscan Grille opened in Murray six years ago, it used a frosted-glass partition with saloon doors for the bartenders. “The only real complaints you get are from people out of town,” said general manager Steven Rose. “They think it’s absolutely absurd.”

“After the Porcupine Pub & Grille in Salt Lake City put up a Zion Curtain 18 months ago, it found it also had to change the route to the restroom, said Nic James, a manager at the pub. “We had to block the access because people going to the bathroom could see a drink being poured,” she said. “We had to redirect them down a hallway.”

“Utah lawmakers tried in 2013 to remove the requirement, but failed. The latest measure comes as lawmakers have also passed a bill that lowers the legal limit for driving while intoxicated to 0.05%, the nation’s strictest.”

[PlainsUte]

OKlahoma just fixed its liquor laws, based on voter referendum in November.  So around mid-year liquor stores will be able to sell refrigerated beer above 3.2%.

[Tacoma Ute]

Everywhere around the country Utah is viewed as the weirdest place in the US. Not trying to stir anything up but it just is.

[AZswayze]

Florida might have something to say about that, but I hear ya.

[Daedalus]

[mokus]

Utah in a Mormon Norman Bates kind of way.  Florida is in a Jeffrey Dahmer on spring break kind of way.

[ironman1315]

You and I both know Utah is the Nediddly Flanders of the US.

[PorterRockwell]

Driving I-15 south bound today. The overhead message board noted that 33 lives were lost last year due to DUI. 33 is 33 too many but I wonder how many of those were at 0.05 or lower?  I’m going to guess less than 5. 

[SkinyUte]

I’ll take the under.

[PorterRockwell]

Smart man you are 

[mokus]

Drunk driving accounts for about 35 deaths per year in Utah.  The total deaths on the highways is usually about 160 per year.  While I don’t want anyone hurt by drunk drivers, punishing all drinkers is absurd.  Legalize weed so we can clear up bed space in prisons for DUI violators.

[PlainsUte]

One source said just 1% of fatalities are caused by drivers between .05 and .08, so the answer is 0.33
https://secure.everyaction.com/9Xdu9evsbUGviAL8KS_QkQ2

[ladyinred]

It would also be interesting to know if, of that 1%, any factors like cell phone or other distraction played a role. Also, just getting into a car must carry some % of crash risk, so how many of those people would’ve crashed regardless of their BAC.

Anyway, just seems like low-hanging fruit for the religiouslature to prey on giving the appearance they are working hard to save lives.

[Newbomb Turk]

I’m jaded as hell, but I always figured they were giving the appearance of moral superiority, and to look good to their peers at Sunday School.

[Red Don]

More deaths due to cell phones and driving than alcohol level of 0.05 or lower- EVER.

[ladyinred]

But cell phone use is not prohibited in the word of wisdom, therefore no danger is posed.

[ironman1315]

Under Utah’s law, someone caught texting and driving now faces up to three months in jail and up to a $750 fine.

And if the driver injured or kills someone 15 years in prison.

The only thing you can do on a phone is check the gps and talk on it. See Utah code § 41-6a-1716. There’s also a general distracted driving law that would cover being distracted from anything, including talking on the phone. But yes, clearly Utah does nothing about cell phones.

[ladyinred]

Yeah, I wasn’t really saying Utah does nothing about cell phones, but thanks anyway for the research you did to argue against a point I wasn’t making.

Utah lawmakers seem to be more interested in trying to manage behaviors according to their own moral code, not necessarily backed by evidence. When they start cracking down even more on other dangerous driving behaviors with equal vigor then maybe I’ll be convinced otherwise.

[ironman1315]

Utah has some of the strictest distracted driving codes in the nation. See e.g. https://www.dmv.com/ut/utah/distracted-driving-laws

Utah comes in second for a first texting offense, Alaska has it at $10k. By way of comparison a first time DUI offense is a class B misdemeanor with fines up to $1000 and 6 months in prison. Fairly comparable.

This argument that we need to do more with cell phones is a loser of an argument. Second strictest in terms of texting fines along with steep increases for injury and a general law that covers a host of problems. They are just as vigorous in attacking other safety issues.

[Puget Ute]

Do people who get a ticket for texting (no accident involved) also get forced to pay SR-22 insurance for a few years? License automatically suspended for 6 months?

Merely texting while driving carries a $70 (max) fine. The big penalties only come into play when the act of texting leads to the driver causing an accident.

If not, then the outcome is hardly comparable to somebody having one drink and then blowing a 0.051 (again, with no accident involved).

[ironman1315]

Insurance will go up, but I’m not sure if it’s SR-22. And no that $70 fine max number is incorrect. And no license suspension so far as I am aware. But you have to realize the stage of the game texting and driving is st in comparison to drinking and driving.

Utah and Oregon were the first states to lower the limit to .08, in 1983. The first drunk driving law was in NY in 1910. .08 wasn’t a national standard until 2000. As you can see, drunk driving laws have a long history. They’ve adapted and changed and always became more strict. Texting while driving laws in the US, by comparison, were first enacted in 2008, Utah in 2009. Shorter history that with time will continue to get more strict, I guarantee it.

And here’s the history of all law, it takes time to identify the problem and to nail down and disincentive people from contributing to the problem. That’s what we’ve got here with texting. The initial steps. In 20 years if the problems continue with no substantial decease then you can bet SR-22 esque insurance will be required and license suspensions and texting while driving related classes, although I’m pretty sure those already exist in Utah. Texting and driving laws are young. Give it time and just watch what happens.

[Puget Ute]

You are correct in the fine, I read it as Max when it said Min.

Copypasta from the link you posted:

“As far as fines are concerned, the minimum fine that violators of the texting and driving ban have to pay is $70. ”

This min fine in WA is $250 (and this includes talking on the phone without a hands-free device), and drivers under 18 will get their license revoked for until they are 18.

Again, the problem here is not with actions that involve an accident. Texting is a primary offense in Utah now, with a minimum fine of $70 (which is likely typical), when no accident is involved.

If somebody has a drink in a club or bar, walks out to the car, gets pulled over 1/2 block later, and blows a .051, she/he is in for a rough, and extremely expensive, time.

[Tony (admin)]

I hope the stupid distracted lady that rear ended me last week gets a big fine.