Now, data from Utah, the one state that has lowered its limit to .05, shows that the change can save lives when implemented domestically.
“Virtually everyone is impaired to some extent with driving performance at .05 BAC,” says Jim Fell, principal research scientist with the National Opinion Research Center.
Other studies show even more dramatic results; one found the fatality rate for drivers with .08 BAC was up to 17 times higher than sober drivers.
In Canada, similar laws reduced the percentage of fatally injured drivers with .05 BAC or higher by 3.7 percent .
Data from Utah and around the world show that these laws act as a general deterrent to drinking and driving both below and above the current limit, Fell says.

Is America’s legal alcohol limit for driving too high?