Majority back lowering drink-drive alcohol limit

Attitudes towards drink driving have changed dramatically over the years and the majority of New Zealanders now support lowering the drink-drive limit, a survey shows.

Results from the survey - of 1000 people nationwide - show that 70 per cent would support lowering the blood-alcohol limit for driving to 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

The present blood-alcohol limit is 80mg.

The survey findings, released yesterday by UMR Research, also show that more people chose to support the lowering of the limit when told how much the average person could drink before exceeding the current limit.

UMR research director Gavin White said the findings were reflective of a slight attitude and culture change towards drink driving.

"I think it's abundantly clear that attitudes have changed over time, when people were more happy to drink at the bar and then say, 'Oh, it's just up the road'."

Mr White said legislation and blunt advertising about the consequences of drink driving had had a strong influence on people's views about the issue over the past 10 to 20 years.

"It's now socially acceptable to see someone who had a few too many to drink [and] to take their keys off them," he said.

Respondents were given the Ministry of Transport's estimate of how much the average person could drink before exceeding the current limit - six standard drinks in 90 minutes - after which 76 per cent said they were in favour of lowering the limit to 50mg.

The results suggest that if the limit were lowered, many people would set their personal limit at two standard drinks orfewer.

The survey also showed that 9 per cent of men and 7 per cent of women overestimated the amount the average person could drink before exceeding the current limit.

Aucklanders and Maori had a high tendency to overestimate the amount of alcohol they could drink and still get behind the wheel.

Others who had set a limit for themselves, however, tended to come up short - well below the Ministry of Transport's estimate limit.

Fifty-six per cent of respondents thought the limit was three or fewer drinks.

Mr White said although it was good that people thought the limit was lower than it really was, it was a worrying sign that most people did not actually know the legal limit for driving after having consumed alcohol.

"People don't really understand the limit at the moment," he said.

"Some think it's lower and others think they can have more - and that's reallybad."

Last year, the Government proposed lowering the blood-alcohol limit from 80mg to 50mg - a proposal backed by health experts and included as one of 153 recommendations in last month's Law Commission report on reducing alcohol-related harms.

SOBERING THOUGHTS

70 per cent of people supported lowering the drink-drive limit from 80mg to 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood

56 per cent of respondents thought the current limit equated to three or less standard drinks

9 per cent of men and 7 per cent of women overestimated the amount needed to exceed the current limit