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.
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.
People killed or injured by drunken drivers in Santa Cruz County cities in 2010 (cities with 25,000-plus population; with ranking based on incidents per 1,000 population):
- Santa Cruz, 24 (Ranked 47th out of 103 in its population group)
- Watsonville, 16 (Ranked 64th out of 103 in its population group)
- Santa Cruz County, 198 (Ranked 30th of 58 counties by average population)
— Patch Field Editor David Mills and Jennifer Squires contributed reporting.
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