The History of Drunk Driving

Drunk driving or operating a vehicle while being intoxicated is as old as the vehicle itself. Many years ago there were no laws pertaining to it simply because cars did not have the power they do today, and not as many people were injured or lost their lives as a result of accidents. The more cars advanced, the problem of drunk driving increased.

First Laws Against Driving While Intoxicated

It was New York that placed the first law against drunk driving in 1910 and every other state in the union soon followed suit. Law enforcement found that driving while drunk proved more dangerous than riding a horse while intoxicated. There was no way at this time to test for the amount of alcohol in the blood, so police did visual observations and well as using their noses to smell for the presence of alcohol on the driver.

The First Blood Alcohol Content

BAC or blood alcohol content was originally set up in 1938, which made it illegal to operate a vehicle with a BAC of more than 15 percent or .15, which was the standard for many years. In 1970, a new group formed MADD or Mothers Against Drunk Driving who lobbied to lower the BAC levels and as a result of their efforts, it was lowered to 10 percent or .10. The federal government made the BAC less by setting it at .08, which is still the law today in all states.

Today, the problem of driving drunk under the influence of alcohol is only half the problem since some people drive after taking drugs, the term DUI relates to both alcohol and drugs.