Reducing Alcohol-Impaired Driving: 0.08% Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Laws

These laws state that it is illegal for a driver’s blood alcohol concentration to exceed 0.08%.

Summary of Task Force Recommendations & Findings

The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends 0.08% BAC laws based on strong evidence of their effectiveness in reducing alcohol-related motor vehicle crash fatalities.

Task Force Finding

Results from the Systematic Reviews

Nine studies qualified for the systematic review.

• Each study evaluated 0.08% BAC laws in one or more of the 16 states that implemented the laws before January 1, 1998. 
• Studies reviewed fatal injury crashes (8 studies) and fatal and nonfatal injury crashes (1 study).
• Fatalities due to alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes: median decrease of 7% following implementation of the law (interquartile range: 15% to 4% decrease; 7 studies)
• Potential lives saved per year if all states enact 0.08% BAC laws: 400 - 600 (3 studies)
• No evaluations were found that met the Community Guide economic inclusion criteria.

These results are based on a systematic review of all available studies led by scientists from CDC’s Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention with input from a team of specialists in systematic review methods and experts in research, practice and policy related to reducing alcohol-impaired driving.

Supporting Materials

• Research gaps
• Summary evidence tables [PDF - 320KB]
• Included studies
• Search strategy

Publications

Shults RA, Elder RW, Sleet DA, et al. Reviews of evidence regarding interventions to reduce alcohol-impaired driving. [PDF - 67KB] Am J Prev Med  2001;21(4S):66–88.

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Recommendations to reduce injuries to motor vehicle occupants: increasing child safety seat use, increasing safety belt use, and reducing alcohol-impaired driving. [PDF - 2.30MB] Am J Prev Med 2001;21(4S):16–22.

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Motor-vehicle occupant injury: strategies for increasing use of child safety seats, increasing use of safety belts, and reducing alcohol-impaired driving. MMWR Recommendations and Reports 2001;50(RR07):1-13.

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Motor vehicle occupant injury. [PDF - 355KB] In : Zaza S, Briss PA, Harris KW, eds. The Guide to Community Preventive Services: What Works to Promote Health? Atlanta (GA): Oxford University Press;2005:329-84.

Mercer SL, Sleet DA, Elder RA, Cole KH, RA Shults, Nichols JL. Translating evidence into policy: lessons learned from the case of lowering the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers. Annals of Epidemiology 2010;20(6):412-20.

More Community Guide publications about the Prevention of Motor Vehicle-Related Injuries

Promotional Materials

Community Guide News

• From Research to Policy: Lessons from a Community Guide Review on Alcohol-Impaired Driving Laws
  Developed by The Community Guide in collaboration with CDC's Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention

More promotional materials for Community Guide reviews about Reducing Alcohol-Impaired Driving.

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Sample Citation

The content of publications of the Guide to Community Preventive Services is in the public domain. Citation as to source, however, is appreciated. Sample citation:
Guide to Community Preventive Services. Reducing alcohol-impaired driving: 0.08% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) laws. www.thecommunityguide.org/mvoi/AID/BAC-laws.html. Last updated: MM/DD/YYYY.

Review completed: August 2000