MADD asks for lower limit for blood alcohol


Wednesday, April 1, 1998	MADD asks for lower limit for blood alcohol By MONIQUE-MADELEINE ANGLE Collegian Staff Writer Mothers Against Drunk Driving is trying to persuade federal legislators to change the Driving Under Influence of Alcohol or Controlled Substance Law, said Kathleen Matason, president of MADD Centre County and chairwoman of MADD of Pennsylvania.
`Mothers Against Drunk Driving web site`	The changed law would mean a driver with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 percent or greater would be considered under the influence of alcohol, Matason said. Currently, a driver with a BAC of 0.10 percent is considered under the influence, she said. MADD intends to work with the U.S. House of Representatives to get this bill passed, Matason said. "I think this bill will save a lot of lives. It sends a message to our youth saying that we are going to be stricter to our adult population," Matason said.
*"We're trying to protect the innocent while trying to teach people about the consequences of drinking and driving."* - Kathleen Matason, president of MADD Centre County and chairwoman of MADD of Pennsylvania	Jasmine Pollock would welcome a law that would reduce the amount of drunk drivers on the road. However, no law will bring back her friends, who were hit and killed by a drunk driver. "If a person is impaired when they are driving, they shouldn't be driving at all," Pollock (sophomore-recreation and parks management) said. In an effort to support this bill, representatives from MADD in Pennsylvania traveled to Washington, D.C. from March 22 to last Thursday, Matason said. However, some University students disagree with the message the bill is sending to youths. "Younger kids who are already breaking the law by drinking while underage aren't going to care about the lowering of the BAC limit. They are still going to drink and drive," said Amina Fazlullah (sophomore-media studies and telecommunications).
(Collegian Graphic/Sean Brandt - click for full-size image)	Fazlullah also said the law would not affect as many people because those who drink and drive usually are caught because of erratic driving, meaning that they are unable to keep control of the vehicle because they are drunk far beyond the legal limit. Sgt. John Wilson of the State College Police Department said people are also caught for drunken driving during spot-check points, accidents or violations such as not having their lights turned on. Last year, State College police made 360 arrests for driving under the influence, the third-highest level in the state, Wilson said. But the strong message the police and MADD have given to the public in anti-drunken driving campaigns has persuaded people to take cabs and designate drivers, Wilson said. He added that he supports the 0.08 percent BAC bill because it emphasizes that impairment starts with the first drink. However, Mark Kosarych (sophomore-landscape architecture) said MADD may see more of an impact if it lowers the BAC even further than 0.08 percent. "If you reduce it even further to 0.05 percent, people will think about it more," he said. Matason said MADD is lobbying for moderation, encouraging people to think carefully before they drink four or five beers in an hour and then get into a car. "We're trying to protect the innocent while trying to teach people about the consequences of drinking and driving," she said.