Key facts ignored in booze argument

drink and car keys

Those who claim lowering the blood alcohol limit will not reduce the road toll are ignoring key facts put forward in support of the change.

Cabinet this week approved lowering the blood alcohol limit from 80mg per 100ml of blood to 50mg for drivers over 20.

Drivers testing positive between 50mg and 80mg will receive a $200 fine and 50 demerit points. The move brings New Zealand into line with Australia's legal alcohol limit and comes at a time when most New Zealanders now view drink-driving as unacceptable.

A two-year review of the impact of a 30mg reduction in the legal limit suggested 3.4 lives would be saved and 64 injury-causing crashes avoided each year, equating to savings of $200 million in social costs over 10 years.

Despite this, the change has been greeted with a mixed response.

Ken Evans, from Sensible Sentencing Tauranga, says the acceptable level could be lowered even further.

In contrast, Tauranga City councillor and Hospitality New Zealand Bay of Plenty chairman Clayton Mitchell has called on the Government to scrap the plan, saying it will be an inconvenience and will not lower the number of fatalities on our roads.

He says the Government should instead impose harsher penalties for repeat drink-drivers who are the real problem.

He has a point.

Heavy, recidivist drinkers are likely to disregard the law regardless of the blood alcohol limit. The only way to tackle the problem they present is through regular checkpoints that highlight the risk of being caught.

However, lowering the limit will reduce the chance of law -abiding people making an impaired decision on whether or not they should get behind the wheel.

This alone will save lives.