Should DUI Alcohol Limit Be Lowered to .05 Percent?

The National Transportation Safety Board recommends reducing the limit. Some say it would save lives. Others say it's unreasonable.

One drink could be the standard for drunken driving – at least for some people if the National Transporation Safety Board has its way. On Tuesday, the NTSB recommended states lower the blood-alcohol threshold for driving under the influence from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent. What do you think? Is the proposal reasonable? About 10,000 deaths a year are related to drunken driving. The NTSB says the lower limit would save 500 to 800 lives a year. Officials at the American Beverage Institute called the proposal "ludicrous." It said the average woman could reach the 0.05 percent limit by having one drink. Internationally, only a handful of countries, including Canada, the United States and England, have a BAC limit of .08 while most of the …

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Chris Taylor Jr

5:10 pm on Friday, May 17, 2013

the law makes NO sense because you think it has something to do with drunk driving and our safety. Once you realize its all about revenue and nothing more. absolutely nothing more. then it makes perfect sense.   more ›

Crime and Fire

Driver Was Under Influence of Pot, Police Say

Zionsville man was found with an ounce of marijuana, Macungie officers report. Blood test results confirm he was under the influence.

An Upper Milford Township man recently was charged with driving under the influence and possession of marijuana, according to Macungie police. Kevin Michael Beers, 20, of 5084 W. Wendi Drive, Zionsville, was stopped at 1:40 a.m. Feb. 16 in the 900 block of Willow Lane for an unspecified traffic violation, police said. The officer smelled a strong odor of suspected marijuana, police said, and appeared to be impaired. About an ounce of marijuana was confiscated. Beers was taken to the Lehigh County D.U.I. Center where blood was drawn for testing. Police said the results showed that marijuana was present in his system. Charges were filed with Magisterial District Judge Donna Butler of Emmaus, police said.

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Car Accident

Driver Fled After Crashing Into Pole, Police Say

Driver fell asleep, drifted off roadway and struck a utility pole, troopers report.

Alcohol likely played a role recently when a Breinigsville man drove off a Lower Macungie roadway and struck a utility pole, according to police. Kalman W. Konya, 27, fell asleep at the wheel at 2:45 a.m. Feb. 5 as he drove in the area of 6776 Hamilton Blvd., according to state police at Fogelsville. Konya's 1999 Dodge Stratus drifted off the right shoulder. His vehicle continued about 120 feet before the rear of his car hit a utility pole, police said. The car made a one-quarter turn and came to rest in a parking lot. Konya fled the accident, police said, but they found him at his residence, based on registration information. He showed signs of intoxication and was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence, police said. …

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State Police Suspend Use of Breathalyzers in DUI Stops

This decision by the Pennsylvania State Police could increase arrests of those driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

The Pennsylvania State Police have temporarily suspended the use of breathalyzers in DUI stops, meaning that DUI arrests may increase in areas patrolled by the PSP by detecting drugs in addition to alcohol, according to CBS3. A Dauphin County Court ruling prompted the decision, where a judge threw out a DUI charge after the reliability of the breathalyzer test using the Intoxilyzer 5000, which is used throughout Pennsylvania, was questioned. “Anytime we arrest someone for DUI now instead of taking them to get a breath sample, we’re now taking a blood sample and taking that off to the lab to be analyzed,” PSP Spokesman Adam Reed told CBS 3. According to George Geisler of the PA DUI Association, this action will mean safer roads, because …

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Former Pa. Rep. Joe Brennan Sentenced To 90 Days in Prison

Former Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Brennan pleads guilty to DUI and simple assault but gets probation for simple assault.

A Lehigh County judge sentenced former State Representative Joe Brennan to a mandatory 90 days in prison Thursday after he pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of alchohol. Judge Maria Dantos also sentenced Brennan to 18 months' probation for simple assault stemming from the same incident when he struck his wife on Aug. 15 at their Fountain Hill home before driving away drunk. His blood-alcohol content measured 0.22 percent. The state's legal limit is 0.08 percent. Brennan, who must also pay a $1,500 fine, will begin serving his sentence Monday in Lehigh County Prison. Assistant District Attorney Stephen VanNatten said Brennan's wife, who did not attend the sentencing, did not want her husband to serve time in prison…

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How Many Drinks Will Get You A DUI?

Check out this DUI chart to make sure you stay safe on the road this New Year's Eve

When police pull drivers over for suspected drunken driving, officers ask them to perform field a sobriety test and to take a breath test to measure Blood Alcohol Content. A BAC test measures the percentage of alcohol present in a person's bloodstream. Pennsylvania's legal limit is 0.08. According to the Virginia Tech Alcohol Abuse Prevention website, every 40 minutes, 0.01 percent of alcohol leaves your system.  Check out the chart in the media portion of this article to see what your limit is. And remember, how you feel also depends on your alcohol tolerance. Remember: If you choose to drink, make sure you have a designated driver.

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How Many Drinks Will Get You A DUI?

If you insist on driving after a few drinks on New Year's Eve, here's what you should know about how alcohol affects your system—and your criminal record.

Do you know how many drinks you can have before you're in danger of getting a drunken driving violation?  As we approach New Year's Eve, and all the celebrations that come with it, Patch is here to help you know when enough is enough. When police pull drivers over for suspected drunken driving, officers ask them to perform field sobriety tests and to take a breath test to measure Blood Alcohol Content. A BAC test measures the percentage of alcohol present in a person's bloodstream. Pennsylvania's legal limit is 0.08. According to the Virginia Tech Alcohol Abuse Prevention website, every 40 minutes, 0.01 percent of alcohol leaves your system.  Check out the chart in the media portion of this article to see what your limit is. And remember, …

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Car Accident

DUI Driver Has Kids in Vehicle, Police Say

She sideswiped another vehicle, which followed and detained her until police arrive, troopers charge.

A Lower Macungie Township driver with two young children as passengers is accused of driving under the influence and striking another vehicle recently in South Whitehall Township, according to police. Natasha Jaikishun, 36, of 7093 Hunt Drive was driving west on Interstate 78 at 7:23 p.m. Dec. 9, according to state police at Fogelsville.  Jeffrey Faust of 683 Grange Road, Allentown, was pulled to the side of the road and was sideswiped by Jaikishun's sport-utility vehicle. Faust gave chase and was able to get Jaikishun to pull her vehicle into the parking lot at 3900 Hamilton Blvd., police said. While investigating, police said they noticed signs of intoxication and arrested her for suspicion of driving under the influence. Jaikishun had a…

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Crime and Fire

'Disabled Motorist' Was Shooting Heroin, Police Say

Berks driver is arrested for drug, DUI charges after being called to Lower Macungie intersection to check on a disabled vehicle, troopers say.

State police recently thought they were responding to a report to assist a disabled motorist in Lower Macungie Township. Although there was no mechanical problem with the car, perhaps nothing could have been closer to the truth when they say that they instead found a driver injecting heroin. State police at Fogelsville said they found the vehicle at Lower Macungie Road and Cedar Crest Boulevard at 1:50 p.m. Oct. 27. Inside they found Rachel Lynn Ward, 29, of Barto, Berks County, and observed her injecting the drug. Police said they arrested her. She consented to a search of her vehicle, which yielded drug paraphernalia. Charges of driving under the influence and drug possession were filed with the office of Magisterial District Judge …

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Injuries Slight Despite Lower Mac Vehicle Rollover

Car lost control, hit utility pole before landing on its roof, police say.

An Allentown-area man avoided serious injury early Aug. 9 despite his car striking a utility pole and overturning in Lower Macungie Township, just outside of Emmaus, according to police. Ron O'Neill, 20, was treated at an area hospital for minor injuries, according to state police at Fogelsville. O'Neill at 2:33 a.m. was heading north on Macungie Avenue and turning onto Orchid Place when his Hyundai Elantra lost control on a curve, police said. The car hit a PPL utility pole and overturned, coming to rest on its roof. O'Neill was transported to a hospital by Emmaus Ambulance for treatment of minor injuries, police said. They also said blood was drawn because they suspected O'Neill of driving under the influence of alcohol. Charges filed …

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