As drunk driving accounts for one-third of traffic deaths, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended on Tuesday to lower the legal blood-alcohol level down to .05 percent from .08 percent.
"This is critical because impaired driving remains one of the biggest killers in the United States. To make a bold difference will require bold action. But it can be done,” Deborah Hersman, NTSB chairman, told USA Today.
Time reported the board is lowering the level due the rising statistic of one person dying in a car crash involving a drunk driver every hour.
According to NBC News, the United States is apart of a few countries that allow the blood-alcohol level to be at .08 percent, while most countries in Europe have lowered the level to .05 percent. Australia, dropping its level to .05 percent, has had a decrease in drunk driving accidents.
With a level of .05 percent, drinkers feel euphoria and commit bolder actions, while a level of .08 percent hinders motor skills and judgmen, according to Party Smart.
The NTSB has no legal authority as individual states would have to decide on whether or not to lower the blood-level alcohol, reported NBC News.