Latest news with #SB5067
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
Bellingham sees highest rate of DUI arrests in 5 years
The Bellingham Police Department is sounding the alarm on impaired driving. In the first three months of 2025, officers made 114 DUI arrests, which is up from 99 DUI arrests at this time last year. It's the city's highest amount of DUI arrests in at least five years. 'If you choose to get in your car and drive impaired. That's a decision that you've made. Whether you're capable of getting in the car at that time or not. You didn't do something ahead of time when you were sober and could make that decision to change that,' says Lt. Claudia Murphy with Bellingham Police. In one recent arrest, officers report an impaired driver doing burnouts, hitting a parked car, and then crashing into a barrier, all without two front wheels. During a March 1 arrest, an impaired taxi driver, with a passenger into car, went off the road and became stuck on train tracks. The driver and passenger were able to evacuate before the taxi was hit by a train. As for what's driving the dangerous trend, that's still unclear according to Lt. Murphy. She tells KIRO 7 that the department has more officers and are directing more resources to patrols than they've been able to in years prior. Addiction could also be driving the number of impaired drivers. The department has seen a rise in daytime arrests. Monday is the day that officers have made the highest number of arrests, despite some assumptions that impairment might be higher on weekends. 'Part of it is when people are addicted to drug or alcohol, there is no particular day. They need the drug or alcohol all the time,' says Lt. Murphy. The Tacoma Police Department is also seeing a spike in impairment arrests. The department has made 141 DUI arrests this year, a 64% jump from the same time period last year. 'I've been doing this for 32 years, and we have been arresting people for drunk driving for 32 years, and before that, obviously, right? And we will continue to arrest people for drunk driving,' says Lt. Murphy. 'What has to happen is there has to be a societal shift.' Lt. Murphy tells KIRO 7, additional education and prevention services for youth could help create that necessary shift. She also believes in lowering the legal limit for driving from .08 to .05. A bill to change Washington's legal limit to .05 (SB 5067) was proposed in the state legislature this year. It stalled in committee after failing to pass the last two sessions.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
Legislation to lower Blood Alcohol Content to .05 returns after two previous failed attempts
2025 has already been a dangerous year on Washington roads. In one arrest, an impaired driver was going the wrong way on I-90 and crashed into a state trooper. In Thurston County this month, one man was arrested twice at this same intersection for a DUI, on consecutive nights. The arrests are fueling calls for lawmakers to increase safety on the road. In Olympia, Senate Bill 5067 looks to reduce the state's blood alcohol limit for a DUI from .08 to .05. The bill is still in committee but has bipartisan support. The bill has already received a green light from Washington's Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC). 'On average it's going to take three or four drinks for a lot of people in a couple hours to exceed that .05 limit. And I think most people if you asked them- would you get in a car with someone you just saw have four drinks of alcohol? They'd probably say no,' says Mark McKechnie, with WTSC. McKechnie calls the proposed legislation a necessary change, with a proven track record. Utah reduced their BAC limit for DUIs to .05 for drivers in 2018. Research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Commission found that in 2019 Utah's fatal crash rates dropped by nearly 20 percent. Washington's bill to lower the legal limit has failed to pass the last two legislative sessions. One of the opposition points to the legislation, is the potential for higher DUI arrests and convictions. Attorney Ryan English tells KIRO 7, 'This bill would add further congestion to court dockets…Its passage would open up the floodgates to needless litigation.' When asked about the potential uptick in arrests, McKechnie says that hasn't been the case in Utah. 'They really haven't seen arrests increase,' says McKechnie. The Senate Committee on Transportation will vote on SB 5067 Tuesday afternoon. If passed, it would head to the Senate floor.
