Introductory Letter

Call To Action

Table of Contents

Program Brochure

Resource Guide

Media Kit

Media Tools

Fact Sheets

Mobilization Hand-Out

Logo Slicks

LEGISLATION

  • .08 BAC Laws
    Order #2P0043
    NHTSA has developed a Resource Kit on .08 BAC Laws which includes a variety of individual resource materials on .08 BAC. These include: Presidential Plan for Making .08 BAC the National Legal Limit; Setting Limits, Saving Lives: The Case for .08 BAC Laws; .08 BAC Limit Saves Lives: Why Every States Needs a .08 BAC Law; Detection of DWI at BACs Below .10; Visual Detection of DWI Motorists; Stickers; Buttons; the BAC Estimator; and other information.

  • Presidential Plan for Making .08 BAC the National Legal Limit
    Item Number: DOT HS 808 756 (Order #2P1054)
    On March 3, 1998, more than 150 representatives of national organizations and highway safety partners convened at the White House to witness President Clinton address the Nation on setting new standards to prevent impaired driving. The President directed the Secretary of Transportation to work with Congress, other Federal agencies, the states, and other concerned safety groups to develop a plan to promote the adoption of a .08 BAC legal limit. NHTSA developed a plan to address the components of the President’s directive entitled Presidential Plan for Making .08 BAC the National Legal Limit.

  • Setting Limits, Saving Lives; The Case for .08 BAC Laws
    Item Number: DOT HS 808 524 (Order #2P0038)
    NHTSA, in conjunction with the National Safety Council, developed this informative, easy-to-understand handbook on .08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC). It presents information for use by safety advocates at the local level to support state .08 BAC laws. It includes an overview of the impaired driving problem, a description of the .08 law, the rationale behind .08, the effect of various BACs on crash risk, myths about .08, consumer education and public support, law enforcement aspects, and a summary of the effects of the law in terms of crash reductions.

  • Three New Studies of .08 BAC
    Three recent studies of the effects of lowering the illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit in states to .08 were recently completed by NHTSA. Two studies show that .08 laws are an effective component to an overall approach to reducing drinking and driving, especially when they are linked with administrative license revocation (ALR) laws. One of these studies found significant decreases in alcohol-related fatal crashes associated with .08 laws in reducing the rate of drinking drivers in fatal crashes in 13 states. Most of the .08 states already had ALR laws on the books, and the study concluded that .08 laws are especially effective when combined with ALR laws and .08 laws serve as an important component in a comprehensive programs of laws, enforcement, and public education to reducing drinking and driving. A third study analyzed the effects of the .08 law in North Carolina. While this study found decreases in several measures of alcohol-related crashes on the order of 4%-6% associated with the .08 law, these decreases were not statistically significant. These studies continue to provide more evidence that .08 laws have the potential to save many lives if implemented in all states. The three studies are:
    • The Impact of Alcohol Safety Laws on Drinking Drivers in Fatal Crashes (in press)
    • Evaluation of the Effects of North Carolina’s 0.08 % BAC Laws, November 1998,
      Item Number: DOT HS 808 893
    • The Effects of .08 BAC Laws, March 1999,
      Item Number: DOT HS 808 892

  • Zero Tolerance Program with BACCHUS and SADD
    NHTSA has joined with BACCHUS and SADD to work with high school and college students and local police to raise awareness and increase enforcement of zero tolerance laws. Programs are being implemented in Colorado, Florida, Alabama, Arizona, and Missouri. Results of this initiative will be available in January 2000 and will be shared with other states and communities.

  • Digest of State Alcohol-Related Safety Legislation
    Item Number: DOT HS 808 830 (Order #2P0400)
    This annual digest reports the status of State laws that are concerned with alcohol-impaired driving offenses and alcoholic beverage control.

  • Research on the Effectiveness of Laws
    NHTSA has previously studied the effectiveness of:
    • .08 per se in California (The Effects Following Implementation of an .08 BAC Limit and an Administrative Per Se Law in California; 1991; Item Number: DOT HS 808 777; Order #5P0172)
    • Zero tolerance in Maryland (Lower Limits for Youth: Evaluation of the Maryland .02 law; 1992; Item Number: DOT HS 807 860; Order #3P0100)
    • Dram shop laws (Alcohol Beverage Server Liability and the Reduction of Alcohol-Related Problems: Evaluation of Dram Shop Laws; Summary Report 1990; DOT HS 807 628; Final Report 1990; Item Number: DOT HS 807 629; Order #1P1076)
    • Vehicle impoundment (An Evaluation of the Specific Deterrent Effect of Vehicle Impoundment on Suspended, Revoked and Unlicensed Drivers in California; 1997; Item Number: DOT HS 808 727; Order #7P0095)

    NHTSA is currently examining the effectiveness of:

    • Zero tolerance laws
    • Allowing hospital reporting of BACs
    • Tiered sanctions for BACs (higher sanctions for higher BACs)
    • Open Container laws
    • .08 per se in Illinois

    NHTSA is also conducting a legislative history of .08 in states which have recently enacted the law. The study will document the obstacles that were faced, and the solutions that were found.

  • Saving Teenage Lives: The Case for Graduated Driver Licensing
    Item Number: DOT HS 808 801 (Order #2P1043)
    NHTSA, in collaboration with the National Safety Council, developed an easy-to-understand handbook on graduated driver licensing. The handbook includes a discussion of the problem; stages of graduated licensing; effectiveness of graduated driver licensing; questions and answers; results from U.S. and other countries; and a model law.

  • State Legislative Fact Sheets
    Various, see below
    These fact sheets provide current information on specific legislative topics. Each publication presents legislative status updates; crash, injury, and fatality statistics; cost savings estimates; and listings of groups and agencies that support the legislation. The sheets are a quick and simple way to become familiar with a legislative issue and gain direction on how to obtain further information or locate other groups supporting the legislation. State Legislative Fact Sheet Topics for Impaired Driving: 0.08 BAC Illegal Per Se Level (2P0028); Administrative License Revocation (2P0027); Graduated Driver Licensing System (2P0026); Vehicle and License Plate Sanctions (5P0204); Open Container Laws (2P1065); Repeat Intoxicated Driver Laws (2P1064); Zero Tolerance Laws to Reduce Alcohol-Impaired Driving By Youth (TBD).

  • Questions Most Frequently Asked About Administrative License Revocation (ALR)
    Item Number: DOT HS 807 906 (Order #2P0419)
    This brochure provides basic information about the administrative license revocation or suspension of the driver’s license of individuals who refuse or fail a chemical test to determine their blood alcohol concentration. ALR is a measure that has proven to be a most effective deterrent to driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This brochure was updated in August 1999.