Man in New York State Allegedly Drove Nearly 5X Legal BAC Limit

Offcials say a man from out of state was pulled over after reports of an erratic vehicle traveling on parts of the New York State Thruway. When police caught up with the suspect, they said the man behind the wheel was dangerously intoxicated at the time.

Could New York State Lower Its Legal Drunk Driving Limit? 

Advocates gathered in Albany back in March 2024 to rally for change. What those people were pushing for, according to WNYT, is for the state to lower its legal drunk driving limit.

A number of lawmakers have pushed in recent years to lower the state's legal limit, including State Senator John Lui, who said he would make it a top priority to lower the limit to 0.05%.According to statistics posted at CBS, New York saw 335 alcohol-related deaths in 2022, which was a 30% percent increase over the last five years.

Currently, Utah is the only state in the country that has a limit of .05%, which went into effect at the end of 2018.

Man in New York State Allegedly Drove Nearly 5X Legal BAC Limit 

New York State Police said in a press release that troopers responded to the reports of an erratic vehicle on northbound I-87 the night of October 13.

State police say they located the vehicle matching the caller’s description and stopped it  on I-87 in Wilton. The driver was identified as 39-year-old man of East Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

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Police say the man was arrested and transported for processing, where he recorded a 0.38% BAC, which is 4.7 times over the state's legal BAC limit of 0.08%. The suspect was issued tickets, and is due back in court in mid November.

Alcohol's Effect on the Body

Lehigh Valley Live posted results using information from the the Prevention & Treatment Resource Press. One example they used, was if a 160 pound man were to register a BAC of 0.30, then they would have had to have consumed 11 drinks in one hour.

According to the McDonald Center at the University of Notre Dame, a BAC of 0.250 to 0.399% can lead to alcohol poisoning, and loss of consciousness. A BAC of 0.40% or higher could lead to onset of coma, or even possible death due to respiratory arrest.