Utah Law Lowering Blood Alcohol Content Level Not Increasing DUI Arrests

Utah Law Lowering Blood Alcohol Content Level Not Increasing DUI Arrests

(Salt Lake City, UT) — Utah officials say a law that lowered the blood-alcohol content needed for a DUI citation has not led to a spike in arrests. Utah lawmakers voted to lower the BAC needed for an arrest to zero-point-zero-five in 2017, the lowest level of any state. But data compiled by the Utah Highway Safety Office shows that DUI arrests have remained at about the same level over the last five years. Arrests dropped slightly the year after the law went into effect, but rebounded to 2017 levels over the last two years. A spokesperson for the Utah Highway Patrol says troopers focus more on impairment than blood-alcohol content when making a DUI arrest.