Zero blood alcohol limit ‘will criminalise innocent motorists’ - AA
The Automobile Association (AA) is concerned about plans to amend the law and drop the legal blood alcohol limit to zero for drivers.
The group doesn’t believe this will help prevent drunk driving.
If given the green light, proposed changes to the National Road Traffic Act would see the legal blood alcohol content limit for drivers lowered from 0.05 grams per 100-millilitres to zero.
Breath alcohol concentration would also be decreased from 0.24 grams per 1000-millilitres to nought.
The AA's Layton Beard says while they understand the aim is to reduce road deaths, it will end up criminalising innocent motorists.
He says, for example, some people take medication which contains alcohol.
"You can't legislate yourself out of a problem that essentially requires boots on the ground.
"In other words more traffic law enforcement officers. If the proposed amendment is passed how will any of that change the current state of traffic law enforcement?
"And unless that happens, we fear that the proposed amendments will have minimal impact."
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