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Utah's Move From 0.08 to 0.05 Blood Alcohol Concentration Per Se Policy: Effects on Driver Crash Fatalities Compared
Kaigang Li1, James C Fell2, Niyousha Hosseinichimeh3
1Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; Colorado School of Public Health, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Introduction:
The aim of this study was to assess the early effects of Utah's 0.05 g/dL blood alcohol concentration per se law-passed in 2017 and enacted in 2018-on crash fatalities by comparing Utah with its 6 contiguous states.
Methods:
Using data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, the authors conducted a difference-in-differences analysis comparing prelaw (2016) and postlaw (2019) outcomes, crash fatalities across 5 blood alcohol concentration levels (<0.01, ≥0.01, ≥0.05, ≥0.08, and ≥0.15 g/dL) between Utah and contiguous states. Eleven-year trends (2013-2023) in crash fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled were displayed. Data were analyzed in 2025 using SAS, Version 9.4, for data preparation and statistical analyses.
Results:
Utah experienced significantly larger reductions in crash fatalities than contiguous states, with difference-in-differences estimates ranging from -0.67 to -1.17 (all p<0.05). The largest decrease was observed for crashes involving drivers with blood alcohol concentration ≥0.01 (difference-in-differences = -1.17, 95% CI= -1.88 to -0.46). For nonalcohol-related crashes (blood alcohol concentration <0.01), both Utah and adjoining states experienced decreases, but the differences were not statistically significant for fatalities (p=0.96).
Conclusions:
Utah's 0.05 blood alcohol concentration law was associated with meaningful decreases in alcohol-related crash fatalities, strengthening the evidence supporting the public health importance of evidence-based policy and strongly supporting broader adoption of 0.05 blood alcohol concentration limits nationwide.
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