Salt Lake City (ap)
The 0.05 percent limit goes into effect Sunday, despite protests that it will punish responsible drinkers and hurt the state’s tourism industry by adding to the reputation that the predominantly Mormon state is unfriendly to those who drink alcohol. The state’s old limit was 0.08 percent, the threshold in most states.
For Utah lawmakers, the change is a safety measure aimed at encouraging people not to drive at all if they’ve been drinking.
The change was easily approved in 2017 by the Legislature, which is mostly Mormon and mostly Republican, Gov. Gary Herbert, a Republican and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“The vast majority of people nationwide think that if a person has been drinking they shouldn’t be driving,” said Republican Rep. Norm Thurston, who sponsored the measure.
