Joe Lieberman: “I rise in support of the bi-partisan amendment introduced by Mr. Lautenberg and Mr. DeWine to set a national illegal…”

“I rise in support of the bi-partisan amendment introduced by Mr. Lautenberg and Mr. DeWine to set a national illegal blood alcohol content (BAC) limit of .08 for drivers over age 21. I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of the bill upon which this amendment is based. Mr. President, the drunk driving problem is a national disgrace. Its severe emotional and financial costs to society are staggering. In 1996, more than 17,000 Americans died in alcohol-related crashes. That means someone in America loses a loved one every 30 seconds to a driver who is drunk. In 1996, more than 321,000 persons were injured in crashes where police report that alcohol was present. When you count up the health care costs, lost work, and other economic impacts, alcohol-related crashes also add up to a monetary loss to society of more than $44 billion every year. It's not surprising that a recent survey by Allstate identified drunk driving as the #1 highway safety problem in the eyes of a majority of Americans. We know that the physical and mental abilities of virtually all drivers are impaired at .08. This impairment includes critical driving tasks such as vision, balance, reaction time and hearing, judgement, and the ability to concentrate. The heightened risk of a crash starts with the first drink, but rises rapidly when BAC is as high as .08.”