Good morning Scotty. I understand your angst with the unequal application of the law and your worry of being stopped and charged. I also think that the outcome of a concentrated effort on the part of CDL holders might be to lower the limits on everyone rather than raise the limits to bring about equality. If the law is to be equal, why not just make everyone have a .04 BAC limit? Why not make everyone have to meet the same rigid standards as the CDL holder?
Also, can you positively state that you have seen anyone given a citation for drinking one beer. I have serious doubts that has ever happened. According to my
Texas School Bus Driver's Resource Manual, tests have shown that:
- If you weigh 100 lb, your BAC will be .03 after one drink
- If you weigh 200 lb, your BAC will be .03 after two drinks
Any additional drinking within that timeframe (1 hour) will put you over the .04 BAC limit. That is based on one 12 oz beer, one 5 oz glass of wine, or one oz of 100-proof liquor.
Additionally, the manual goes on to point out:
- A BAC of .04 to .06 brings about overconfidence in driving
- A BAC of .03 to .035 causes braking, starting, and stopping times to be reduced by 25% to 30%
- A BAC of .03 shows some impairment of visual skills
Considering those numbers, I think there is plenty of argument for making alcohol related penalties even more stringent.
Finally, what about the guy who is found sleeping in his car in the parking lot of a bar? If he is over the limit, I believe he is also charged with DWI or something similar. Is that fair?
In Texas in 1997, 30.4% of all traffic dealths were alcohol related. Someone was injured every 18 minutes and three persons killed in every 24 hour period. Those numbers are horrible. I think you will find more people who are willing to take excessive measures to reduce those numbers than would be willing to increase the BAC limits for CDL holders. My expectation is that limits will tighten for the non-CDL holders rather than the opposite.