Blood Alcohol Concentration Laws (Per se Laws)

At a glance

Program or Strategy Type
Environmental
Intervention Continuum
Universal
Age group(s)
Not specified
Setting(s)
Not specified
DBHR Prevention Funding Source(s)
EIP
EBP Designation
Evidence Based Practice (EBP) for EIP
Versions with EBP Designations
N/A
Program or Strategy Description

Per se laws— a specific BAC level (usually .05 or .08) at which a driver is considered legally impaired and can be arrested (Andenaes, 1988). The BAC can be measured by taking a blood sample from a driver or via an analysis of the exhaled breath. The invention of the breathalyser and other portable devices for collecting samples of drivers’ breaths, combined with per se legislation, revolutionized law enforcement of drinking and driving.
All USA states have longstanding laws prohibiting driving while impaired by alcohol. The U.S. Congress included a provision in the Fiscal Year 2001 Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act 213 requiring states and territories to implement .08 BAC laws by October 1, 2003 or risk losing federal highway construction funds. Certain policies depend upon laws that clearly define drinking and driving with a BAC at or higher than a prescribed level for the whole population (e.g., .08 or .05) or for young drivers (usually zero or .02).

Status on Other Registries or Inventories
Blueprints: Not on registry
CrimeSolutions: Promising (one)
CEBC: Not on registry
WSIPP Youth Cannabis 2019: Not on Inventory
WSIPP Children's Services 2020: Not on Inventory
Title IV-E Clearinghouse: Not on registry
What Works Clearinghouse: Not on registry
CASEL Program Guide: Not on registry
Suicide Prevention Resource Center: Not on registry

Contexts

Race/Ethnicity
American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, White, Race/ethnicity unspecified
(Dis)ability
Not specified
Gender
Not Specified
LGBTQ+
Not specified
Urbanicity
Urban
Suburban
Rural and/or frontier
Tribal
Language
Not specified
Program Website
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/
Name and Contact of Program Developer

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, D.C. 20590

888-327-4236
888-275-9171 (TTY)

Characteristics

Protective factor(s) addressed

Individual Protective Factors
Not Specified
Peer Protective Factors
Not Specified
Family Protective Factors
Not Specified
School Protective Factors
Not Specified
Neighborhood/Community Protective Factors
Not Specified

Risk factor(s) addressed

Individual Risk Factors
Not Specified
Peer Risk Factors
Not Specified
Family Risk Factors
Not Specified
School Risk Factors
Not Specified
Neighborhood/Community Risk Factors
Not Specified

Outcomes targeted

Problem Behavior Outcomes
Not Specified
Education Outcomes
Not Specified
Emotional Well-being Outcomes
Not Specified
Positive Relationships Outcomes
Not Specified

Implementation stories