A bill pending in the legislature would lower Michigan's legal blood-alcohol content from the current 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent. While this reduction symbolizes concern and effort by the state, outside pressure exists. Michigan is in danger of losing $1 million a year in federal alcohol prevention funding because the state's drinking laws fall short of proposed new federal standards. While Michigan cannot risk losing this amount of federal funding, those trying to further reduce drunken driving accidents must realize that a 0.02 percent change in the legal limit will not necessarily deter those who pose a threat - repeat offenders and individuals with drinking problems. Numerical manipulations with the legal blood-alcohol content will not successfully deter. It is therefore the new federal standards that need adjustments - focusing on prevention.
Of the more than 490,000 licensed Michigan drivers convicted of driving while intoxicated, nearly 5,000 have at least six offenses on their record. This group of drivers are targeted and eventually swayed through long-standing publicity and education campaigns, not through a decrease in the legal blood-alcohol content. While the lower legal limit places added fear upon those who cannot decide whether to have another glass of wine, this type of drinker is not the problem. As Russ Fontaine, a senior analyst with Alcohol Research Consulting in California said, "We are talking about people with serious alcohol problems who are intractable to change."
Even with the headway that Michigan has made, to those closest to the problem, the glass is still half empty. Even though the pending bill will not necessarily curb alcohol-related accidents, it is a mandatory step in order to maintain the much-needed federal funding. One of the most successful Michigan programs aimed at curbing drunken driving is run by New Paths, a residential treatment center in Flint. The New Paths program includes personal counseling, education courses and mandatory Alcoholics Anonymous meetings as well as talks by members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. In particular, MADD's high-impact counseling and emotional discussions tap into the angst that families feel after being affected by drunken driving accidents. Programs like New Paths rely heavily on federal funding and show high rates of success. A 1995 study showed that 95 percent of those who complete the New Paths program are not arrested for subsequent drunk driving offenses.
Federal officials should recognize that a reduction in the legal limit will not effectively reach those who continually violate the law. Instead, the next step should entail increased funding for programs such as New Paths. The Michigan legislature needs to pass this bill, simply to retain federal funding. At the same time, however, it must not pretend that this bill will seriously reduce alcohol-related fatal accidents. The efforts to curtail and eventually end fatalities due to drunken driving must not cease after this bill becomes law. Continual efforts to reach repeat offenders and alcoholics must accompany this pending legislation.