Should DUI Alcohol Limit Be Lowered to .05 Percent?

The National Transportation Safety Board recommends reducing the limit. Some say it would save lives. Others say it's unreasonable.

One drink could be the standard for drunken driving – at least for some people if the National Transporation Safety Board has its way. On Tuesday, the NTSB recommended states lower the blood-alcohol threshold for driving under the influence from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent. What do you think? Is the proposal reasonable? About 10,000 deaths a year are related to drunken driving. The NTSB says the lower limit would save 500 to 800 lives a year. Officials at the American Beverage Institute called the proposal "ludicrous." It said the average woman could reach the 0.05 percent limit by having one drink. Internationally, only a handful of countries, including Canada, the United States and England, have a BAC limit of .08 while most of the …

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Car Accident

Driver Fled After Crashing Into Pole, Police Say

Driver fell asleep, drifted off roadway and struck a utility pole, troopers report.

Alcohol likely played a role recently when a Breinigsville man drove off a Lower Macungie roadway and struck a utility pole, according to police. Kalman W. Konya, 27, fell asleep at the wheel at 2:45 a.m. Feb. 5 as he drove in the area of 6776 Hamilton Blvd., according to state police at Fogelsville. Konya's 1999 Dodge Stratus drifted off the right shoulder. His vehicle continued about 120 feet before the rear of his car hit a utility pole, police said. The car made a one-quarter turn and came to rest in a parking lot. Konya fled the accident, police said, but they found him at his residence, based on registration information. He showed signs of intoxication and was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence, police said. …

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Former Pa. Rep. Joe Brennan Sentenced To 90 Days in Prison

Former Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Brennan pleads guilty to DUI and simple assault but gets probation for simple assault.

A Lehigh County judge sentenced former State Representative Joe Brennan to a mandatory 90 days in prison Thursday after he pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of alchohol. Judge Maria Dantos also sentenced Brennan to 18 months' probation for simple assault stemming from the same incident when he struck his wife on Aug. 15 at their Fountain Hill home before driving away drunk. His blood-alcohol content measured 0.22 percent. The state's legal limit is 0.08 percent. Brennan, who must also pay a $1,500 fine, will begin serving his sentence Monday in Lehigh County Prison. Assistant District Attorney Stephen VanNatten said Brennan's wife, who did not attend the sentencing, did not want her husband to serve time in prison…

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PennDOT, Police Target Labor Day DUI

PennDOT and state police will target impaired drivers to curb the worsening problem of drunken or drugged driving.

PennDOT, Police Target Labor Day DUI

PennDOT and state police will target impaired drivers to curb the worsening problem of drunken or drugged driving.

State and local police, along with PennDOT, will take part in a national enforcement effort through Labor Day on Sept. 3, targeting motorists driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.   The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” effort will target impaired drivers and highlight the worsening problem of drugged driving.  “As we remind motorists to drive sober for the Labor Day holiday, we also want to raise awareness of the growing safety threat that drugged drivers present,” PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch said. “While overall DUI crashes are trending downward, we’re seeing a troubling increase in drug-related crashes each year.” PennDOT statistics for 2011 show there were 3,073 drug-related crashes statewide, with 116 fatalities in …

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