It is amazing that in most countries, despite the evidence, the legal limit for alcohol is still 0.08%, making some think that below such a level is ‘safe’! This BMJ letter from a Canadian doctor is a reminder how far advanced Australian states are in comparison to elsewhere (0.05% is the limit I last read). The talk of saliva tests in Victoria for ‘drug driving’ is much more complex and should not be supported generally until the benefits are shown to outweigh the disadvantages and costs. There also needs to be community support when we are better informed of the issues.
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/328/7444/895-a
BMJ 2004;328:895 (10 April) Letter
“Alcohol limit for drink driving should be much lower”
EDITOR—For more than a century alcohol has been recognised as one of the principal risk factors for motor vehicle crashes. Nearly half of the roughly 35 000 fatal motor vehicle crashes in the United States each year are alcohol related, meaning that someone in the crash, usually a driver, is intoxicated.
Currently, a blood alcohol concentration ranging from 0.08 to 0.10 mg per 100 ml constitutes prima facie evidence in most countries for driving under the influence of alcohol. In the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, South Africa, and Sri Lanka the legal limit is 0.08 mg per 100 ml, which is too high as driving skills deteriorate and the risk of becoming involved in a crash risk increases from a concentration of 0.02 mg per 100 ml.
Because the legal blood alcohol concentration in most countries is so high, people often mistakenly believe that they may drive up to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.8 mg per 100 ml, overlooking the fact that driving is impaired at lower concentrations.
Drinking and driving policies and decisions about enforcement need to be hinged on the scientific evidence.
Ediriweera B R Desapriya, Vancouver, BC, Canada
