A bill signed by President Clinton last week is a small step toward the prevention of alcohol-related traffic deaths.

The new law requires states to implement a .08 percent blood alcohol content as a national standard for drinking and driving. If states do not impose the standard by 2004, they will lose millions of dollars of their federal highway funds.

Proponents of the law claim it will save 500 lives from traffic deaths every year. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia already use the .08 level to define drunken driving, and in these states, alcohol-related traffic deaths were reduced by about 500 people. Thirty-one states, including Michigan, have a .10 blood alcohol standard.

A significant number of people’s lives could be saved by the implementation of this law, and states should embrace it. More than 15,786 traffic deaths were attributed to drunken driving in 1999 in the United States, according to Clinton. Mothers Against Drunk Driving reported Michigan had 536 alcohol-related deaths in 1998. Any measure to lower this number should be commended.

The blood alcohol level is a fairly accurate indicator of a driver’s level of impairment. Studies show that a driver with a blood alcohol content of .08 is 11 times more likely than a sober driver to be involved in a fatal accident. Drivers at this level present a considerable safety risk.

The law will enable police to discipline a driver who was driving dangerously but whose blood alcohol level was not .10.

The law will not likely ruin anyone’s weekend plans of social drinking. But, the measure is the largest step in toughening drunken driving laws since 1984, when former President Ronald Reagan and the U.S. Congress established a national drinking age law.

Hopefully, though, the law will discourage a person from consuming a final drink that will put him or her over the edge of being able to drive safely.

According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a 170-pound man could have roughly four drinks in an hour on an empty stomach before reaching the .08 level, while a 137-pound woman could consume roughly three.

While a person’s blood alcohol level can be an accurate indicator of whether he or she should be on the road, it is difficult to define drunken driving. The actual level of impairment differs in each specific situation.

Drinkers still have to be aware of their own personal drinking limits. Drinkers who have a blood alcohol level below the legal limit and still cannot drive safely should keep that in mind before getting behind the wheel. Drinkers should understand driving under the influence of alcohol increases chances of being involved in an accident, even if their blood alcohol level is below the legal limit.

The law also will make drunken driving laws more consistent throughout the country. A driver will now be considered drunk no matter which state line he or she swerves across.

The law will effectively discourage drinkers from driving under the influence - and in turn will save the lives of innocent people.