Samenvatting
Lowering the legal BAC (blood alcohol content) limit for driving has produced a sustained decline in the risk of injury and death internationally; however, the USA has not adopted this measure. This paper is based on three recent news reports in the Japanese media on this subject. It argues that policy makers in the USA tend to yield to considerations of the current political environment, although it states that saving lives and political interest cannot be achieved simultaneously. The paper concludes that the lower legal limit should be an important policy in a comprehensive approach to reduce alcohol impaired driving.