Utah Drunk Driving Law Becomes Strictest in the Nation
Utah has implemented a new law that lowers its blood alcohol content limit from 0.08 to 0.05 on Dec. 30, which gives the state the strictest DUI law in the country for drivers with a standard license.
Utah has lowered the threshhold for drunk driving to 0.05 blood alcohol level, which makes it the toughest state law on the books.
Photo via Garrett/Flickr.
Utah has implemented a new law that lowers its blood alcohol content (BAC) limit from 0.08 to 0.05 on Dec. 30, which gives the state the strictest DUI law in the country for drivers with a standard license.
The national standard is 0.08 and all states aside from Utah currently hold that threshold for noncommercial drivers over 21. Drivers of commercial vehicles with a commercial driver's license (CDL) are held to the federal requirements set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) of no more than a 0.04 BAC.
Under the new law, Utah drivers that cause a fatality and have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05 BAC or greater will be convicted of a felony, specifically, criminal homicide, reports CNN.
The law hasn't yet resulted in additional DUI arrests. On Dec. 30 and Dec 31, Utah Highway Patrol made a total of 19 arrests for driving under the influence. However, none of the offending drivers had a BAC below the previous 0.08 limit, reports USA Today.
The goal of Utah's new law is to deter motorists from driving after drinking, and ultimately, to save lives.
The National Transportation Safety Board applauded Utah's move, reports note. Since 2013, the agency has been recommending that states change to a 0.05 BAC limit, claiming a lower limit will reduce fatal collisions linked to drunk driving.
Opponents of Utah's new measure say it unfairly targets social drinkers and will distract law enforcement from pursuing the most dangerous high-BAC offenders on the roads.
Editor's note: This story was updated on Jan. 4 to clarify the rules for CDL holders.
More Safety
The Safest Fleets Aren’t the Ones with the Most Technology
You’ve made the telematics investment. Here’s how to capture the other half of its value and build the safest fleet on the road.
Read More →
Hidden in Plain Sight: Fleet Compliance Risks
Fleet compliance isn't just about having policies — it's about consistently enforcing them. This practical guide reveals six hidden compliance risks common in public sector and shared fleet operations and outlines proven strategies to improve visibility, accountability, and audit readiness
Read More →
NETS Sets 2026 Fleet Safety Benchmark Conference for Indianapolis
The Sept. 15–17 program will feature fleet benchmarking data, case studies, emerging technologies, and implementation strategies while running alongside the NSC Safety Congress & Expo.
Read More →
Off-the-Job Crashes Account for 43% of Employers’ $61.7 Billion Crash Burden
NETS quantifies costs dispersed across fleet, risk, HR, and other departments while providing new per-crash benchmarks for employers.
Read More →
Ram Recalls More Than 1.27 Million 1500 Pickups for Seat Belt Anchor Issue
The recall affects certain 2019-2026 Ram 1500 pickups that may have improperly attached second-row seat belt buckle anchors.
Read More →
How Better Visibility Cut Speeding Violations by 48%
Fleet leaders don't need more data, they need clearer visibility into what the data is saying. This case study explores how one utility replaced speeding-event counts with a single metric — miles driven in violation — to strengthen safety and significantly reduce speeding violations.
Read More →
Operation Safe Driver Week: Why the Industry's Oldest Safety Campaign Still Matters to Fleets
A look at how a 2007 enforcement initiative became one of the most consequential weeks on the fleet safety calendar, and what it means for your drivers in 2026.
Read More →
Nexar-Nauto Merger Aims to Give Fleets Better Safety Intelligence Through Larger Driving Dataset
Stefan Heck tells Automotive Fleet that combining more than 10 billion miles of driving history with Nexar's AI models will give fleets deeper insights into driver risk and roadway conditions than either company could provide independently.
Read More →
From Silos to Solutions: Relationship Management for Safer Fleets
From telematics adoption and driver accountability to policy consistency and risk mitigation, this episode breaks down what it really takes to build a safer fleet culture without slowing business down.
Read More →
IIHS Launches First Commercial Vehicle Safety Evaluations
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has begun evaluating heavy-duty pickups and cargo vans for driver protection. Which models earned top marks?
Read More →