Utah’s Move From 0.08 to 0.05 Blood Alcohol Concentration Per Se Policy: Effects on Driver Crash Fatalities Compared With Contiguous States

Abstract

Introduction

The aim of this study was to assess the early effects of Utah’s 0.05 g/dL blood alcohol concentration per se law—passed in 2017 and enacted in 2018—on crash fatalities by comparing Utah with its 6 contiguous states.

Methods

Using data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, the authors conducted a difference-in-differences analysis comparing prelaw (2016) and postlaw (2019) outcomes, crash fatalities across 5 blood alcohol concentration levels (<0.01, ≥0.01, ≥0.05, ≥0.08, and ≥0.15 g/dL) between Utah and contiguous states. Eleven-year trends (2013–2023) in crash fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled were displayed. Data were analyzed in 2025 using SAS, Version 9.4, for data preparation and statistical analyses.

Results

Utah experienced significantly larger reductions in crash fatalities than contiguous states, with difference-in-differences estimates ranging from −0.67 to −1.17 (all p<0.05). The largest decrease was observed for crashes involving drivers with blood alcohol concentration ≥0.01 (difference-in-differences = −1.17, 95% CI= −1.88 to −0.46). For nonalcohol-related crashes (blood alcohol concentration <0.01), both Utah and adjoining states experienced decreases, but the differences were not statistically significant for fatalities (p=0.96).

Conclusions

Utah’s 0.05 blood alcohol concentration law was associated with meaningful decreases in alcohol-related crash fatalities, strengthening the evidence supporting the public health importance of evidence-based policy and strongly supporting broader adoption of 0.05 blood alcohol concentration limits nationwide.