Editorial: Zero limit a positive move

OPINION: There is no doubt Transport Minister Steven Joyce has the best of motives for wanting to ban drivers under 20 from drinking before they get behind the wheel.

There have to be good road safety gains to be made by targeting this vulnerable group.

That said, it is likely to be deeply unpopular with young people, and a large portion of the population will argue that a zero driving limit runs the risk of being overly punitive.

Indeed, the thought of people as young as 15 having a drink-driving conviction for simply having one drink and then driving seems harsh. That would be a stain on their records with potentially far-reaching effects. A punitive limit could even have the opposite effect of that intended, making a conviction a badge of honour.

But there is a strong case to be made that the zero limit approach could be one of the best things we ever do for our young people. At present the youth drink-driving limit is 30mg per 100 millilitres of blood.

That is extremely low and youth advocates would argue that it has resulted in a large number of convictions for young people for drinking very little. The low limit is clearly not working, as the incidence of young people in drink-driving smashes shows.

So two things are happening. The limit is not deterring young people, and they are racking up convictions regardless. The problem with the low limit – and indeed the adult limit – is ambiguity. There are as many urban myths about drink-drive limits as there are about any other topic.

By introducing a zero limit for young people the Government would remove any ambiguity about what can and cannot be consumed before driving.

The choice becomes simple: If you drink and you're under 20, you give up your right to drive on that occasion. This is a much clearer and fairer situation than our current approach which amounts to: You can drink a little bit and you may just get away with it.

The situation – as this newspaper has argued before – is also tricky for adults. Our adult limit of 80mg/100ml is much higher than Australia's. There is a lot of confusion about what you can and can't drink before driving. The Alcohol Advisory Council calculates an adult male could drink as much as three quarters of a bottle of wine and be under the limit, and a woman half a bottle. Most would agree this is a surprising amount.

That confusion would be eradicated by making the limit lower for adults so that two drinks would put an individual in danger of breaking the law. The rule would be easy to remember: One drink and you're fine to drive, two is one too many.

A zero alcohol limit for young people and a lower limit for adults will more than likely save lives. That alone has to make lower limits a good idea.

- © Fairfax NZ News