From 2011-2022, at least 40 percent of traffic fatalities in Hawai‘i involved alcohol. During the same timeframe, the national average for alcohol-related traffic fatalities hovered between 35 and 36 percent, bumping up to 37 percent in 2022. Lowering the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for driving from 0.08 to 0.05 percent will serve as a general deterrent to intoxicated driving and prevent future deaths.

HIAPA director Rick Collins and MADD Hawaii public policy chair Arkie Koehl contributed this Community Voice article to Honolulu Civil Beat. “There is nothing political about lowering the BAC. It’s time for our lawmakers to stop playing games with human lives,” they wrote.

Manoa resident Claire Barnes submitted this Letter to the Editor to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser expressing disappointment that the BAC bill did not pass during the 2024 legislative session.

From the article: Legislation that would reduce the threshold for drunken driving from 0.08% blood alcohol content to 0.05% is dead for this year. State Senate Bill 2384, which had passed the Senate, passed its first House of Representatives floor reading on March 7, but died when it wasn’t scheduled to be heard by the House Transportation Committee by a March 14 deadline.

From the article: Gov. Josh Green, also a medical doctor, remains passionate about lowering Hawaii’s blood alcohol content to .05. As America’s only sitting governor who is a medical doctor, Green said during a January informational briefing organized by the Hawaii Alcohol Policy Alliance that he has seen the carnage of drunken driving during emergency room shifts on Hawaii island. He also said at the time that any industry that opposes lowering the BAC limit to prevent injuries and deaths deserves “a place in hell.”

From the article: After Utah adopted a lower legal limit, two states started the process of lowering their limits, with more to follow depending on the results. To curb accidents and fatalities as a result of drunk drivers, Washington State and Hawaii are currently working to lower the limit from 0.08 percent blood alcohol content (BAC) to 0.05 percent.

From the article: A growing number of states are considering lowering the blood alcohol level at which drivers are considered to be under the influence. A bill that would lower the legal blood alcohol limit to 0.05 percent from 0.08 percent was passed by the Hawaii state Senate on March 5 and is now being considered by the lower house. It follows a similar bill in Washington state, which is currently in committee, while Utah has already adopted the lower limit.

Camlyn Pola, vice chair of the East Hawaii Drug-Free Coalition, shares her thoughts in support of the BAC bill in this Op-Ed in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald.

From the story by Shanila Kabir: Leaders at the Hawaii Alcohol Policy Alliance said this push is not about monitoring behavior, instead it is only to prevent the loss of lives on our roadways. According to their studies, the current .08 limit prevents around 360 deaths nationwide and lowering the limit to .05 would prevent an extra 538 on top of that.

Ann Collins, a mental health therapist and mother from Maui, thanks the Hawaii State Senate for passing Senate Bill 2384 in this Letter to the Editor.

Image source: Valerie Saiki

Sign wavers at a rally presented by Kekoa “Pure Aloha” Carvalho and To The Top Foundation with support from Keep It Flowing following advocacy training by Ho‘o kele Coalition in collaboration with the Hawai‘i Public Health Institute, Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai‘i, the Hawai‘i Alcohol Policy Alliance, Hale ‘Opio and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Image source: Rick Collins

From the article: More than 65 people and organizations testified Tuesday in support of a bill that seeks to crack down on drunk driving in Hawaiʻi. Senate Bill 2384, which proposes to lower the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for driving from 0.08% to 0.05%, was passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Hawaii County Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen: “This bill isn’t about increasing penal sanctions. What this bill is about is saving lives. Alcohol-related traffic fatalities continue to be a concern across our state. Impaired driving is especially concerning for us on Hawaii Island.”

Image source: Chelsea Gonzales

Cynthia Okazaki, a community volunteer and advocate for road safety who retired from Parents and Children Together (PACT) in 2016, authored this Op-Ed in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

This story recaps some of the testimony presented by dozens in support of lowering the state’s legal blood alcohol concentration from 0.08 to 0.05 percent.

From the article: [House Bill 1935] gained significant traction earlier this month when the House Committee on Transportation received written testimony from 79 individuals and organizations in support of the bill, and one in opposition. Among the notable organizations testifying were the National Transportation Safety Board, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Hawai‘i County Prosecutor’s Office, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the Hawai‘i Bicycling League.

Image source: Chelsea Gonzales

MADD Hawaii public policy chair Arkie Koehl shared this Letter to the Editor in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser urging all voters know where their legislators stand on lowering the BAC.

Image source: Sally Ancheta

Former Maui Police Department traffic commander William Hankins shares his thoughts on lowering the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for driving from 0.08 to 0.05 percent to save lives. “Even one life lost to an alcohol-related traffic accident is to many,” he writes.

Image source: Rick Collins

Charlene Brown, the Kula mother of a 19-year-old who was killed by a drunk driver, shared this Letter to the Editor in The Maui News. “We need our legislators to take a stand lowering the alcohol limit. Not only will it reduce drinking and driving, it will also stop repeat offenders,” she wrote.

From the article: ”This progress is monumental for our cause,” said Rick Collins, director of the Hawaii Alcohol Policy Alliance, in a statement. “It is the first time this measure has been heard in the House and subsequently passed out of its inaugural committee.”