Beginning today, anyone caught driving in Ohio with a blood alcohol content of more than 0.08 percent can be charged with drunken driving.

State lawmakers reduced the state's drunken driving blood alcohol benchmark from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent in an effort to comply with federal mandates and keep federal highway assistance from being cut.

According to the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Web site, 44 percent of Ohio's fatal crashes were alcohol-related.

The BAC reduction coincides with several local police departments' efforts to step up patrols over the upcoming Fourth of July holiday weekend, including the Brookfield Township Police Department.