Washington D.C. mayor to sign emergency DUI law

Washington D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams said he will sign emergency legislation to relax the city’s “zero tolerance” law for drunken driven, despite reservations.

The emergency legislation will presume drivers with a blood-alcohol level of less than 0.05 percent as sober and they cannot be arrested for drunken driving.  Drivers with levels between 0.05 and 0.08 percent would fall into a neutral zone, which will require police to use other factors like field sobriety tests to determine if they are impaired.

Williams has complained the bill, which came to light after a woman complained she had been arrested for a 0.03 level from one glass of wine, was hastily written, but the D.C. Council is worried about the consequences on businesses if motorists are arrested with very low blood-alcohol levels.