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New Drunk Driving Standard Takes Effect
Rokeberg's 0.08 Percent Blood Alcohol Limit Starts Sept. 1

(ANCHORAGE) - The chairman of the committee that sponsored Alaska's tough new drunk driving law today reminded Alaska drivers that the state's tighter 0.08 percent blood alcohol content (BAC) standard takes effect Saturday, Sept. 1.

"It is important that Alaskans are aware of these tougher standards, and reflect on their responsibility to maintain clear judgment when drinking before driving," said Rep. Norman Rokeberg (R-Anchorage), who chairs the House Judiciary Committee. "On Saturday, Alaska's streets will be safer for law-abiding citizens, but much more dangerous to those who drink too much and drive."

As chairman, Rokeberg sponsored and won passage of House Bill 132 into law, which allows police to assume a driver whose BAC is 0.08 percent or more is legally too drunk to drive safely. The law also includes a "10-year look back" provision, so that a driver's third DUI arrest in 10 years can be prosecuted as a felony, instead of the current five-year look back period.

The new standard for drunken driving address a significant public safety problem, said Rokeberg. Anchorage Police Department records for the year 2000, for example, document 61 drunk arrests in which the driver's BAC was between 0.08 percent and the previous limit of 0.1 percent. From 1998-2000, there were 168 such arrests, the records show.

Alaska joins 26 states in adopting the federally mandated 0.08 percent BAC standard, preserving $179 million in federal transportation funding for Alaska, Rokeberg said. The law also qualifies Alaska to receive $668,000 in federal grant funds this year, which will be used in educational and advocacy efforts to reduce drunken driving.

Rokeberg also won passage last session of laws easing prosecution and punishment of minors who consume alcohol, making it easier to arrest and convict bootleggers, and to memorialize the victims of drunken driving. He is continuing to work on House Bill 4, a comprehensive bill to toughen punishment of drunken drivers, and hopes to win passage of the bill in the upcoming legislative session.

"Alaskans have made it clear they expect the Legislature to fight back against the hazards and heartbreak that impaired drivers bring to our public roads, and I will continue to do my best in this effort," Rokeberg said.

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