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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah lawmakers have backed a proposal that could make the state's DUI threshold the strictest in the nation by lowering the blood-alcohol content limit to 0.05 percent.
Members of a Senate transportation committee on Wednesday voted in favor of the plan, saying it would help to save lives by keeping people off the roads after drinking.
Sarah Longwell of the American Beverage Institute opposes the bill, saying that there is no evidence it will keep people safer. Her organization said the proposal would mean that a 150-pound man could get a DUI after two beers.
For several years, the National Transportation Safety Board has encouraged states to drop their BAC levels to 0.05 or even lower.
The proposal now moves to the full Senate for consideration.
Lawmakers in Washington and Hawaii have introduced similar legislation.
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