Utah booze limit now .05

Photo: The Canadian Press

Utah's governor signed legislation Thursday giving the predominantly Mormon state the strictest drunken driving threshold in the country, a change that restaurant groups and representatives of the ski and snowboard industry say will hurt tourism.

Republican Gov. Gary Herbert said lowering the blood alcohol limit for most drivers to 0.05 per cent from 0.08 per cent will save lives.

The change means a 150-pound man would be over the 0.05 limit after two beers, while a 120-pound woman could exceed it after a single drink, though that can be affected by a number of factors, including how much food a person has eaten, according to the American Beverage Institute, a national restaurant group.

Opponents, including the group, had urged Herbert to veto the bill , saying it would punish responsible drinkers and burnish Utah's reputation as a Mormon-centric place unfriendly to those who drink alcohol.

"People are going to try to say this is a religious issue. And that is just absolutely false. This is a public safety issue," the governor, who is Mormon, said at a news conference.

Restaurant groups said they don't support drunken driving but a 0.05 per cent limit won't catch drivers who are actually impaired. Plus, the law is "a total attack on the state's hospitality industry, customers and the tourism industry," American Beverage Institute executive director Sarah Longwell said.

The group took out full-page ads Thursday in Salt Lake City's two daily newspapers and USA Today, featuring a fake mugshot under a large headline reading, "Utah: Come for vacation, leave on probation."

But proponents say the law will send a resounding message that people should not drink and drive — no matter how little somebody has consumed. The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety applauded the change, saying it's a "sensible solution" to deter drunken driving.