OPINION:
As the former vice chairman for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), I have seen suffering and I have seen death. So I cannot stand by while someone attempts to mislead the American public about a lifesaving measure that will prevent drinking and driving deaths (“More politics than science,” Web, May 13).
I am saddened that op-ed author Richard Berman stirs up unfounded opposition to .05 blood-alcohol content laws when lives are at stake. Mr. Berman perpetuates the myth that .05 blood-alcohol content levels are about “jailing more people” despite clear evidence (and reminders by the NTSB, the National Academies of Science and families who have lost loved ones) that a .05 blood-alcohol content does not necessarily increase arrests, nor does it decrease drinking — it simply encourages people to make the right decision not to drive. It is (conservatively) estimated that 1,500 lives would be saved every year if all states passed a .05 law.
It’s strange and sad that Mr. Berman tries to attack the NTSB, an independent agency pursuing the admirable mission of preventing transportation disasters. As someone with a PhD in injury prevention, I laughed when I read Mr. Berman’s attempts at maligning respected scientists such as Dr. Jim Fell, whose work on the benefit of .05 blood-alcohol content laws is echoed by the National Academies of Science.
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As they say, you can have your own opinions, but you can’t have your own facts. I know Americans are smart enough to see the difference between misinformation and good, hard facts. That’s why the majority of Americans surveyed support a .05 blood-alcohol content law. And that’s why states across our nation are following Utah’s lead with .05 bills in order to save lives.
BELLA DINH-ZARR
Washington
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