By Deana Harley for WGHP-TV Greensboro

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – The amount of alcohol someone is legally allowed to drink before driving a car in North Carolina could change if a bipartisan bill in the General Assembly is passed.

Republican state Rep. Mike Clampitt says the law hasn’t been changed for 25 years.

“I think it’s about time we did a change,” he said.

House Bill 108 would lower the legal limit from .08 to .05 blood alcohol content. It includes other provisions, like more guidance for law enforcement to get a sample from suspected drunk drivers and chances for repeat offenders to earn back a driver’s license by proving sobriety.

“By rewarding them for being sober, going through an impaired driving class, and then getting a restricted license,” Rep. Clampitt explained.

The bill already has bipartisan support.

Rep. Clampitt, a retired firefighter, says he himself has seen too many alcohol-related deaths on North Carolina roads.

“Most recent example in my county, a head-on collision with a gentleman that had a .31 on the scene of this head-on collision, his second head-on collision since 2017,” he said.

During the 2023 fiscal year, over 27,000 sentences were handed down statewide for impaired drivers.

Organizations who work against drunk driving say they will back any bill that saves lives and prevents crashes.

“Every tragedy we can prevent is worth that effort because it is physically, obviously, emotionally devastating, not just to the family when it occurs, but entire communities can be impacted by these tragedies and they simply don’t have to happen,” Steven Burritt with Moms Against Drunk Driving said.

The bill is still in its very early stages, but it already has bipartisan support. It’s been referred to committee for more conversation.

The preceding article originally appeared on February 15, 2025 at WGHP-TV‘s website and is made available here for educational purposes only. Video courtesy of WNCN-TV. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 106A-117 of the U.S. Copyright Law.