ALAC Calls for Lower Drink Drive Alcohol Levels
PRESS RELEASE
JULY 11 2007

The Alcohol Advisory Council (ALAC) has come out in support of Police and ACC calls for lower blood alcohol (BAC) levels for drivers.

After looking at evidence from overseas which have adopted lower BAC levels, ALAC has reversed its earlier policy and is supporting a zero tolerance for those aged under 20 years (down from 0.02 percent) and a reduction from 0.08 to 0.05 percent for those aged 20 years and over.

ALAC Chief Executive Officer Gerard Vaughan says there has been an international trend towards lowering BAC limits with research showing a direct relationship between increased BAC levels and the risk of being involved in a motor vehicle crash.

The New Zealand Police and ACC are calling for tougher measures to curb the rising number of drink drive car crashes and the resulting social and economic cost.

“New Zealand has a drinking culture where heavy per occasion drinking and drinking to intoxication are the norm therefore the risk that ‘social drinkers’ will go over the limit and then drive is high. We know New Zealand drinkers aged 18 to 24 years are significantly more likely than all other age groups to drink large amounts of alcohol at least once a week.

“There is strong overseas evidence that zero tolerance laws among 18-20 year olds reduces heavy per occasion consumption drinking (five or more drinks at one sitting) by males by about 13 percent.”

Mr Vaughan says research indicates that there have been significant decreases in the number of fatal collisions, serious collisions and single-vehicle collisions in those jurisdictions with a 0.05 percent BAC limit compared with number of these types of collisions occurring when the BAC limit in these jurisdictions was 0.08 percent as it is currently in New Zealand.

“The evidence is there that a lower BAC will help reduce road accidents and the subsequent costs to individuals and the country.”

ENDS

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