Government’s eyes tight shut over lower drink-drive levels
Iain LEES-GALLOWAY
Associate Transport Spokesperson
7 October 2012
MEDIA STATEMENT
Government’s eyes tight shut over lower drink-drive levels
Steven Joyce
deliberately misled the public and wasted time, resources
and lives by failing to heed overwhelming evidence in favour
of lowering the drink drive when he was Transport Minister,
says Labour’s Transport Safety spokesperson Iain
Lees-Galloway.
“Documents I have obtained under
the Official Information Act reveal Mr Joyce was presented
with abundant evidence that that shows lowering the legal
blood alcohol content level for driving from 0.08mg to
0.05mg would not only reduce the number of people driving at
low levels of intoxication but would also significantly
reduce the number of extremely drunk drivers.
“Mr
Joyce, as former Transport Minister, was prone to pointing
out that lowering the drink drive limit would have a limited
impact because it only affects moderately intoxicated
drivers.
“He even fuelled this falsehood by
initiating costly research into the number of crashes caused
by drivers with an alcohol level between 0.05 and
0.08.
“But Mr Joyce knew all along that evidence,
from as close to home as Australia, shows that lowering
the level has a much broader impact than that and actually
reduces the number of very drunk drivers on the road.
“Ironically, in the same breath Steven Joyce
said the Government was cracking down on high-risk drivers -
including those with very high blood alcohol levels –
and increasing penalties, he was refusing to do the one
thing which is proven to reduce the number of those
drivers.
“Ministry officials estimate that the
Government would save $173 for every $1 invested in
enforcing a lower limit.
“It’s mind-boggling
why Steven Joyce chose not to implement a road safety
initiative that would save lives, has public support and is
incredible value for money.
“And it’s
mind-boggling this latest National Government hasn’t done
so either.
“Parliament can bring a stop to this
nonsense when it debates the Alcohol Reform Bill later this
month. I have tabled an amendment that will set the drink
drive limit at 0.05 and I am urging other MPs to follow the
evidence and make this change that is so desperately needed
to make our roads safer,” said Iain
Lees-Galloway.
ENDS