First days of Utah's new DUI law: Highway Patrol hasn't made any arrests under .08 yet
The nation's strictest drunken-driving standard enacted Sunday has yet to trigger any additional arrests on Utah highways.
Utah Highway Patrol made 19 total arrests for driving under the influence on Sunday and Monday nights, the division tweeted, but none of the people had a blood alcohol content under the previous limit of .08.
While UHP did not make any arrests between the new .05 threshold and .08 national standard, Trooper Colton Freckelton told USA TODAY that some city agencies may have made arrests under the recent law. UHP will post an update on drunken-driving arrests tomorrow, he said, and will release statistics once troopers make arrests because of the new threshold.
It's too early to tell if the new standard will result in additional arrests, Freckelton said.
More: Oregon proposes lowering drunken-driving limit to .05, following Utah
"We do hope that they go down," he said. "We've put out plenty of notices to news stations and media."
One of the first states to lower its restriction to .08 from .10, Utah became the first state to adopt a .05 BAC limit on Sunday. The National Transportation Safety Board began recommending the change back in 2013, saying it will reduce fatal accidents caused by drunk driving.
Opponents argue that the change inappropriately targets casual drinkers, not dangerous heavy drinkers with repeat drunken-driving offenses.
An Oregon lawmaker plans to introduce a bill that would enact a .05 limit, following Utah's lead. Oregon also adopted a stricter drunken-driving standard in 1983 after Utah did. The Oregon legislative session begins Jan. 22.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: First days of Utah's new DUI law: Highway Patrol hasn't made any arrests under .08 yet
