State gets federal grant

Indiana received a $2.9 million federal incentive grant Wednesday for lowering its legal threshold for impaired driving. A new law went into effect July 1 that lowered Indiana's blood alcohol content limit for drivers from 0.10 to 0.08.\n"Lowering the level for impaired driving is a critical part of keeping Indiana's roads safe for all citizens," Gov. Frank O'Bannon said in a press release. "The legislation I signed this year also increases the penalty for operating a vehicle while intoxicated from a Class C to a Class A misdemeanor." \nSen. Tom Wyss, R-Fort Wayne, proposed similar legislation every year in the past decade. Lawmakers finally passed it in this spring's session, after the federal government threatened to withdraw millions of dollars in highway funding. Indiana joins 23 other states and the district of Columbia in adopting the .08 statute. \nState Rep. Peggy Welch, D-Bloomington, authored the version that made it into law\nLocal law enforcement officials doubt the lowered limit will result in a sharp increase in arrests. But they tout the law as a way to keep drunk drivers off the streets.\n"I don't think it will dynamically impact the system," said Monroe County Prosecutor Carl Salzman. "But it's helpful in that it gives us more tools to battle drunk driving."\nSalzman said his office has only dealt with a few .08 cases thus far. \n"I hope it will get people to think before they get behind the wheel," he said. "The .08 law has the same suspension provisions -- from automatic three-day suspension to up to three years. That's what really convinces people, the loss of license.\n"You really can't get around without a license."\nBloomington Police Chief Michael Diekhoff said the law hasn't dramatically affected enforcement.\n"It doesn't really affect us," he said. "But when an officer pulls someone over, he won't be as generous toward someone who might be close to the legal limit. We used to just have to let them go."\nIt's the police department's standard policy to first ask a suspected drunk driver to take a dexterity test. If the officer judges the suspect to be severely impaired, he only then administers a breathalyzer test.\n"We now have lower standards," Diekhoff said. "It used to be if the foot went down twice; now an officer might (administer a breathalyzer test) if the foot goes down once."\nThe department made 376 operating while intoxicated arrests last year and 354 in 1999. Diekhoff said he doesn't anticipate any stark rise in that figure.\n"We'll enforce the law the same," he said. "We just won't give anyone any breaks."\nAccording to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, serious impairment starts at the .04 blood alcohol content level. A typical 170-pound man would have to consume four drinks over the course of an hour to reach a .08 blood alcohol content, while an average 137-pound woman would need three drinks.\nUnder the new law, operating a motor vehicle with a .08 or .09 blood alcohol content is a class C misdemeanor punishable with up to 60 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Driving with a blood alcohol content in excess of .10 is now a class A misdemeanor that can carry up to a year in jail.