ALBANY - The National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday they intend to get tougher on drunk driving. With an ultimate goal of reaching zero alcohol related highway deaths, the NTSB proposed lowering the blood alcohol content to determine a drunk driver from .08 to .05.

More than 100 countries around the world have already adopted .05 as the legal standard. European nations that have done that have seen alcohol related fatalities more than cut in half.

Drunk driving kills 10,000 Americans every year. The NTSB thinks this country needs to do better.

"Alcohol impaired crashes are not accidents," says Deborah Hersman, chairman of the NTSB, "They are crimes."

NISKAYUNA -- As best she can tell, Sara Compoli came within about 20 feet of death or serious injury.

Compoli was driving on Balltown Rd. last Monday when a car heading eastbound on Baker Ave. flew through the intersection without stopping, she said. It turned out the stop sign was missing.

"I could have been T-boned," she said. "My car could have flipped over."

Compoli called the police and met with an officer. It was unclear what happened to the sign, but police notified the town highway department of the need to replace it, Detective Sgt. Dan McManus said.

One week later, the sign still had not been replaced. A frustrated Compoli contacted NewsChannel 13.

"I am just amazed and disheartened that they can't put a stop sign up sooner than one week," she said. "My fear is that someone could be killed here."