S-0539.1
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5067
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2025 Regular Session
By Senate Law & Justice (originally sponsored by Senators Lovick, McCune, Dhingra, Liias, Nobles, Orwall, Pedersen, Valdez, and Wellman; by request of Washington Traffic Safety Commission)
READ FIRST TIME 01/17/25.
AN ACT Relating to impaired driving; amending RCW 46.61.502 , 46.61.504 , 46.61.5055 , 46.61.506 , 46.20.308 , 46.20.3101 , 46.25.090 , 38.38.760 , and 79A.60.040 ; adding a new section to chapter 43.59 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 66.44 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 66.08 RCW; creating a new section; prescribing penalties; providing an effective date; and providing an expiration date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that a per se 0.05 blood alcohol concentration level is the standard throughout most of the world. Norway was the first country to establish a per se blood alcohol concentration limit of 0.05 in 1936. Since then, most countries have adopted blood alcohol concentration limits of 0.05 or lower. Eighty-four percent of the world's population lives in countries with a blood alcohol concentration limit of 0.05 or lower. Studies on the impacts of these laws around the world have found that reducing the limit from 0.08 to 0.05 results in an average reduction of fatalities involving alcohol-impaired driving by 11 percent annually. The national highway traffic safety administration found that a driver's risk of crash involvement at 0.05 is double the rate of a sober driver, which increases to three times the risk at 0.07.
(2) The legislature finds and declares that 2023 was the deadliest year on Washington roads since 1990. Washington state saw 734 fatal crashes resulting in the death of more than 810 people. Half of all fatal crashes involve a driver impaired by drugs or alcohol, and the state saw a 59 percent increase in crashes involving an impaired driver between 2019 and 2023. This alarming upward trend must be addressed if Washington state is going to meet its goal of target zero.