​​Good morning, Chair and members of the Committee. My name is Tom Chapman. I have the honor of serving as the 46th Member of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of House Billl 2196 and its Senate companion bill SB 5002. This important legislation would lower the State’s per se impairment threshold from .08 to .05.

Since 2013, the NTSB has recommended that states establish a per se BAC limit of .05 or lower. In 2018, Utah became the first state to do so and subsequently saw reductions in both its fatal crash and fatality rates relative to the rest of the United States. Passage of .05 legislation in Washington would make it the second state to embrace a change that will save lives and cut the number of senseless and completely avoidable crashes.

In 2021, there were a staggering 13,384 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in the United States, the highest number since 2008. Nationally, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities represent almost one-third of all traffic deaths every year.

Various countermeasures have been tried, and some have made a significant difference. Still, the number of crashes and deaths remains stubbornly high. In Washington State alone, alcohol-impaired driving crashes killed nearly 1,900 people [1,882] between 2011-2021.

More needs to be done. And research suggests that lowering the legal BAC limit to .05 will reduce fatal alcohol-related crashes by an estimated 11 percent. More than 100 countries have established a BAC limit of .05 to reduce alcohol-related crashes, and the benefits of the lowering BAC limits are well documented.

Because we know it works, we at the NTSB strongly support legislation that will lower the legal BAC per se limit to .05. Addressing impaired driving on America’s roads requires bold leadership. We applaud Washington lawmakers for considering this key step.

That concludes my statement on behalf of the National Transportation Safety Board. I am happy to take your questions.

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