What Is the Meaning of Zero-Tolerance Laws?
Zero-tolerance laws refer to laws passed by all 50 states forbidding drivers younger than 21 from driving with any amount of alcohol in their system. An officer can pull a young driver over for suspicion of alcohol use, and if they have a measurable blood alcohol level (BAC) of .01 or .02, depending on the state, they can have their license suspended or even revoked. History of Zero-Tolerance Laws Zero-tolerance laws are part of an overall movement to reduce fatalities among young drivers. The first steps taken were to raise the minimum drinking age from 18 to 21, which took place gradually from the late 1970s to the late 1980s. The drinking age was raised in response to studies that showed a higher minimum drinking age led to lower teen driving fatalities, says the U.S. Department of Transportation. States gradually passed the zero-tolerance laws, and the first four states to do so (Maine, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and New Mexico) saw a 34 percent decline in nighttime fatalities amon
