Source: https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130215060129/http:/alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov/Blood_Alcohol_Concentration_Limits_Adult_Operators_of_Noncommercial_Motor_Vehicles.html
Timestamp: 2020-06-02 03:16:48
Document Index: 393235862

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 4', '§ 634', '§ 911', '§ 163', '§ 4', '§ 4', '§ 634', 'ART 634', '§ 634', '§ 634', '§ 911', '§ 911', 'Art. 111', '§ 163', '§ 163']

APIS - Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Limits: Adult Operators of Noncommercial Motor Vehicles
This policy topic covers laws addressing blood alcohol concentration limits applicable to drivers of noncommercial automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles who have reached the legal drinking age of 21 years.
BAC statutes establish criteria for determining when an operator of a vehicle is violating the law. This section provides information on State and Federal BAC laws that apply to drivers of noncommercial automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles who have reached the legal drinking age (21 years).
All jurisdictions have enacted per se BAC laws for adults operating noncommercial motor vehicles. A per se BAC statute establishes a BAC limit for a violation. If the operator has a BAC level at or above the per se limit, a violation has occurred without regard to other evidence of intoxication or sobriety. In other words, exceeding the BAC limit established in a per se statute is itself a violation. By limiting the use of evidence by defendants, per se laws make conviction more likely. [1].
In the past, some States without a per se law established other standards for using BAC levels as evidence of being under the influence of alcohol. In these jurisdictions, the weight given to the BAC evidence varied. Some laws provided that a BAC at or above a particular level created a presumption of being under the influence of alcohol. Other laws provided that such evidence was prima facie evidence of being under the influence, or was admissible in making this determination. These evidentiary standards were even weaker than a presumption. Defendants in jurisdictions without a per se standard could provide evidence that, in spite of the BAC level, they were not under the influence and therefore not in violation. This differentiates other statutes from per se statutes, which provide that exceeding the BAC limit is itself a violation and only the validity of the BAC measurement is at issue.
For historical data, APIS distinguishes between per se and non-per se jurisdictions but does not distinguish the evidentiary weight of BAC evidence in jurisdictions without a per se standard.
Explanatory Notes and Limitations for Blood Alcohol Concentration Limits: Adult Operators of Noncommercial Motor Vehicles
Explanatory Notes and Limitations Specifically Applicable to Blood Alcohol Concentration Limits: Adult Operators of Noncommercial Motor Vehicles
This review examines only the specific BAC laws for drivers of noncommercial motor vehicles in each State and the District of Columbia and the specific Federal legislation cited.
BAC limits that apply to operators of commercial motor vehicles.
Laws that may pertain to BAC limits for those who operate nonmotorized bicycles.
BAC limits applicable specifically to persons who have not yet attained the legal drinking age (21 years of age). See related policy topic BAC: Youth.
Federal Law for Blood Alcohol Concentration Limits: Adult Operators of Noncommercial Motor Vehicles
BAC limits on Federal properties vary according to the type of lands involved, the Federal agency responsible for their regulation, and the geographic and jurisdictional relationships of any specific Federal land to contiguous privately owned land or land under the jurisdiction of other governmental entities.
For Federal lands under the administration of the National Park Service, a 0.08 per se BAC limit has been operative since September 5, 2003. The applicable regulation applies to drivers who operate a vehicle on roadways or in parking areas within all park areas open to public traffic and that are under the legislative jurisdiction of the United States [36 C.F.R. § 4.23]. It also provides that "if State law that applies to operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol establishes more restrictive limits of alcohol concentration in the operator's blood or breath, those limits supersede the limits specified in this paragraph."
A 0.08% blood alcohol concentration standard is the law on military installations, which are administered by the Department of Defense [32 C.F.R. § 634.34]. Operating a motor vehicle with a BAC of 0.10% or more is also a violation under the Uniform Code of Military Justice [10 U.S.C. § 911].
Other types of Federal properties administered by the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Agriculture are not amenable to a national BAC limit different from those established by the laws of the states in which the land is located. For example, some Federal properties are interspersed among State and privately owned tracts lacking clearly defined boundaries. For these lands, BAC legal limits vary.
Indian tribes are domestic dependent sovereigns that have the right of self-government. As such, approximately 200 tribes across the nation have enacted their own BAC limit laws.
In 1998, the Administration called for widespread adoption of 0.08 BAC levels across the country and on Federal property[1]. Congress passed two laws to spur such action. In 1998, Congress created incentive grant programs for States that moved toward adoption and enforcement of stricter BAC laws. Then, in 2000, Federal legislation was adopted that required each State to pass a per se 0.08 BAC law by 2004 or lose a portion of Federal highway funds. See [23 U.S.C. § 163].
Excerpts from these laws appear below.
36 C.F.R. § 4.23
§ 4.23. Operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs
(2) The alcohol concentration in the operator's blood or breath is 0.08 grams or more of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood or 0.08 grams or more of alcohol per 210 liters of breath. Provided however, that if State law that applies to operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol establishes more restrictive limits of alcohol concentration in the operator's blood or breath, those limits supersede the limits specified in this paragraph.
32 C.F.R. § 634.34
PART 634 - MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC SUPERVISION
Subpart D - Traffic Supervision
§ 634.34. Blood alcohol concentration standards
(a) Administrative revocation of driving privileges and other enforcement measures will be applied uniformly to offenders driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. When a person is tested under the implied consent provisions of § 634.8, the results of the test will be evaluated as follows:
10 U.S.C. § 911
§ 911. Art. 111. Drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle, aircraft, or vessel
(A) The term “blood alcohol content limit” means the amount of alcohol concentration in a person's blood or breath at which operation or control of a vehicle, aircraft, or vessel is prohibited.
(B) The term “United States” includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa and the term “State” includes each of those jurisdictions.
23 U.S.C. § 163
§ 163. Safety incentives to prevent operation of motor vehicles by intoxicated persons
(a) General Authority.—The Secretary shall make a grant, in accordance with this section, to any State that has enacted and is enforcing a law that provides that any person with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or greater while operating a motor vehicle in the State shall be deemed to have committed a per se offense of driving while intoxicated (or an equivalent per se offense).
(b) Grants.—For each fiscal year, funds authorized to carry out this section shall be apportioned to each State that has enacted and is enforcing a law meeting the requirements of subsection (a) in an amount determined by multiplying—
(1) the amount authorized to carry out this section for the fiscal year; by
(2) the ratio that the amount of funds apportioned to each such State under section 402 for such fiscal year bears to the total amount of funds apportioned to all such States under section 402 for such fiscal year.
(c) Use of Grants.—A State may obligate funds apportioned under subsection (b) for any project eligible for assistance under this title.
(d) Federal Share.—The Federal share of the cost of a project funded under this section shall be 100 percent.
(1) In general.—On October 1, 2003, and October 1 of each fiscal year thereafter, if a State has not enacted or is not enforcing a law described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall withhold from amounts apportioned to the State on that date under each of paragraphs (1), (3), and (4) of section 104(b) an amount equal to the amount specified in paragraph (2).
(2) Amount to be withheld.—If a State is subject to a penalty under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall withhold for a fiscal year from the apportionments of the State described in paragraph (1) an amount equal to a percentage of the funds apportioned to the State under paragraphs (1), (3), and (4) of section 104(b) for fiscal year 2003. The percentage shall be as follows:
(A) For fiscal year 2004, 2 percent.
(B) For fiscal year 2005, 4 percent.
(C) For fiscal year 2006, 6 percent.
(D) For fiscal year 2007, and each fiscal year thereafter, 8 percent.
(3) Failure to comply.—If, within 4 years from the date that an apportionment for a State is withheld in accordance with this subsection, the Secretary determines that the State has enacted and is enforcing a law described in subsection (a), the apportionment of the State shall be increased by an amount equal to the amount withheld. If, at the end of such 4-year period, any State has not enacted or is not enforcing a law described in subsection (a) any amounts so withheld from such State shall lapse.
[1] U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "Presidential Initiative for Making 0.08 BAC the National Legal Limit: Recommendations from the Secretary of Transportation," House Conference Report No. 105-550, August 1998, and Statement by President, see 1998 U.S. Code Cong. and Adm. News, p. 64.
Selected References for Blood Alcohol Concentration Limits: Adult Operators of Noncommercial Motor Vehicles
Chang, K., Wu, C.C., and Ying, Y.H. The effectiveness of alcohol control policies on alcohol-related traffic fatalities in the United States. Accident Analysis & Prevention 45:406-415, 2012.
Fell, J.C., Fisher, D.A., Voas, R.B., Tippetts. A.S., and Blackman, K. Changes in alcohol-involved fatal crashes associated with tougher state alcohol legislation. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 33(7):1208-1219, 2009.
Flowers, N.T., Naimi, T.S., Brewer, R.D., Elder, R.W., Shults, R.A., and Jiles, R. Patterns of alcohol consumption and alcohol-impaired driving in the United States. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 32(4):639-644, 2008.
Kaplan, S., and Prato, C.G. Impact of BAC limit reduction on different population segments: A Poisson fixed-effect analysis. Accident Analysis and Prevention 39(6):1146-54, 2007.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol and Transportation Safety. Alcohol Alert No. 52. Rockville, MD: NIAAA.
Ramstedt M. Alcohol and fatal accidents in the United States–A time series analysis for 1950–2002. Accident Analysis & Prevention 40(4):1273-1281, 2008.
U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Setting Limits, Saving Lives: The Case for 0.08 BAC Laws. Department of Transportation Highway Safety 809: 241, 2001.
Voas, R.B., and Fell, J.C. Preventing impaired driving opportunities and problems. Alcohol Research and Health 34(2):225-235, 2011.
Voas, R.B., Kelley-Baker, T., Romano, E., and Vishnuvajjala, R. Implied-consent laws: A review of the literature and examination of current problems and related statutes. Journal of Safety Research 40(2):77-83, 2009.
Wagenaar, A.C., and Maldonado-Molina, M.M. Effects of drivers' license suspension policies on alcohol-related crash involvement: Long-term follow-up in 46 states. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 31(8):1399-1406, 2007.
Wagenaar, A.C., Maldonado-Molina, M.M., Ma, L., Tobler, A.L. and Komro, K.A. Effects of legal BAC limits on fatal crash involvement: Analyses of 28 states from 1976 through 2002. Journal of Safety Research 38(5):493-499, 2007.
Williams, A.F. Alcohol-impaired driving and its consequences in the United States: The past 25 years. Journal of Safety Research 37(2):123-38, 2006.