This statement, with my response, was posted on detroityes.com. I truly am astonished that someone would suggest we change our DUI laws back to a .15 limit. Incredible.

Quote Originally Posted by Ray1936 View Post
I'm not much of a drinker -- an occasional glass of wine is about it -- and I don't like drunk drivers one bit. But I've felt for a long time that .08 is far to low a marker to be considered over the line. It used to be .15, and that was a more realistic figure.

My response:
Are you kidding? Suggesting it should be a .15? A .15 is only realistic if you're just interested in the stumbling falling over drunk who's gotta drive 'cause he's too drunk to walk. Starting at about a .04 the likelihood of being in a crash start to go up dramatically. At an .08 you're about 4 times as likely as a .00 to be in a crash. At .15, you are about 30 times more likely. Impairment in the skills important in operating a vehicle begin to deteriorate with the first drink. An .08 is NOT just a glass of wine with dinner. Depending on a number of factors (weight, blood volume, absorption, burn-off rate, food in stomach, etc.) it's about 4 or 5 drinks over a few hours. Most people are blasted at .15. As currently written our laws say "Try not to drink too much and drive." What we should be saying is "Don't drink and drive." Eventually, we'll go to a .02 like the Scandinavians do. That doesn't mean we should lock 'em up and throw away the key. Rather, they should be taken off the road for at least 24 hours.