Immediate Release
 
Scandalous Alcohol Decision

The government’s decision today to keep the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving at 0.08 is described as “scandalous” by Alcohol Action NZ, and almost certain to be overturned as public awareness continues to build.

University of Otago’s Professor of Preventive and Social Medicine, Jennie Connor, points out that scores of studies have shown that reducing the BAC limit down from 0.08 to 0.05 will save lives, avert many injury vehicle crashes and save millions of dollars in social costs.

“The government’s own Ministry of Transport have estimated that up to 30 lives would be saved, 680 injury accidents avoided and that the country could save more than $200 million dollars in social costs per year if the government took the advice of its own Ministry of Transport” she said.

“Today’s decision is scandalous” says Professor Connor. “The majority of countries of the developed world have dropped their BAC levels to at least 0.05, including Australia”.

The Minister of Transport, Steven Joyce admitted on TV1’s Close Up programme tonight that the government was swayed by its focus groups and didn’t want to be out of step with the public.

National Addiction Centre Director, Professor Doug Sellman, said the decision “lacked courage” and pointed out that it was one of three of the most effective strategies for reducing New Zealand’s heavy drinking culture, along with raising alcohol prices and reducing the marketing and advertising.

“And if the government is going to make important decisions about critical social issues merely based on focus groups of public opinion the process is reduced to “school boy politics”, he said.

“But with public opinion fast catching up with the international evidence and what the rest of the world is doing, lowering the BAC could easily have been a popular decision if the Government had the guts to provide some leadership and explain to New Zealanders how this would make NZ a safer society”.

Minister Joyce has called for “more research” on the issue. But “more research” is not being called for by researchers, although is supported by the alcohol industry.

“This call for “more research” is just obfuscation” said Professor Sellman. “It is reminiscent of the tobacco industry that used this strategy for decades to maintain the status quo of cigarette smoking while thousands of people continued to die”.
ends

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