I always think it's dangerous to make such statements. Alcohol affects everybody differently and you risk giving people the wrong idea about how much they can handle.
There's no way I would ever drive with the equivalent of five standard drinks in my system. Call me a lightweight, but I'd probably have trouble making it to the car. And I'm no average-sized man.
With the new limit, apparently your average male drinker would be safe with three and a half standard drinks under their belt.
Even this sounds too much. Other reports suggest two drinks over two hours is about right.
The problem is, there can be no consensus because so many factors - including body size, metabolism, gender, food - determine how affected by alcohol you will be.
And those breath alcohol machines held by the checkpoint police officers won't care about any of that if you're over the limit.
Maybe the new rules will change the nature of after-work drinks for a whole generation, maybe they'll encourage people to do something else instead, or maybe light beers will take off in popularity. None of those are bad things.
The key thing is, drink driving still happens, year after year, week after week, despite decades of social unacceptability.
Hopefully, this law change will be another nail in its coffin.
