Study: Fewer crashes after Utah sets strictest DUI law in US

By SAM METZ
Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Officials say car crashes and traffic deaths dropped in Utah after the state enacted the nation’s strictest drunken driving laws. A study published Friday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggests Utah’s roads became safer after the state lowered the drunken driving threshold to .05% blood-alcohol content. Crash and fatality rates fell in neighboring states but not as significantly as they did in Utah. In a state where politics is heavily influenced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the findings are a victory for lawmakers who argued the change was about safety, not religion. The state lowered the threshold over tourism industry objections.