Darien Fenton
Transport Safety Spokesperson

15 December 2010
Media Statement

National fails to take the opportunity to save lives

Despite the majority of submitters to the Land Transport Bill seeking to have the blood alcohol level lowered the National Government has once again chosen ignore public opinion, Labour’s transport safety spokesperson Darien Fenton says.

“The select committee report into the Land Transport (Road Safety and other matters) Amendment Bill was reported back to Parliament late yesterday and in it the Government confirmed it will be ignoring the majority of submitters and will refuse to lower the blood alcohol level from .08 to .05,” Darien Fenton said.

“The Government is kicking for touch on this important safety initiative. However, Labour is not backing away from this issue. Labour will seek to make amendments to the Bill during the committee stages to lower the blood alcohol limit and Transport spokesperson Darren Hughes will continue to pursue a Members Bill to lower the blood alcohol limit.

"I can understand it will be embarrassing for Transport Minister Steven Joyce to backtrack," Darien Fenton said. "It has been quite evident from the start that he personally supports .05 as the limit, but he has been overruled by his cabinet colleagues, who in turn have been influenced by the alcohol lobby, and he can't now change his mind again without losing more face.

"The same does not apply to the select committee, however. The committee heard that there is overwhelming evidence supporting the lower limit, and a committee with courage would have grasped the opportunity to suggest a toughening of the legislation.

"Now the National members on the select committee as well as the Minister will inevitably have blood on their hands as Kiwis die unnecessarily on the road in accidents because drivers are out there with an unsafe limit and believing moreover they can get away with being over that limit.

"There is no need to do two years of research," Darien Fenton said. "Steven Joyce knows that. John Key knows that. The select committee knows that.

None of them have the guts to take on the alcohol lobby."

ENDS

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