Blood Alcohol Content

EDM number 464 in 2010-12, proposed by John Hemming on 12/07/2010.
Categorised under the topic of Roads.

That this House notes that opinion relating to the effect of reducing the blood alcohol content (BAC) limit for drivers from 80 to 50 mg/dl varies; further notes that the 2008 report of Daniel Albalate says `the 0.5 mg/ml BAC limits are not found to be statistically significant for the whole population when one controls for other concurrent policies and infrastructure quality, which can confound policy effects'; recognises that Portugal reversed a reduction in the BAC limit introduced in 2001 as it was found not to have significant benefits; further notes that the research commissioned by the National Institutefor Health and Clinical Excellence and performed by the University of Sheffield is based upon the assumption that the change in limit in Australia in 1991 was the only factor causing the reduction in all BAC levels in Australia, an improbable conclusion; further notes that BAC levels in the UK are already lower than those at the end of the sample period in Australia; further recognises that criminalising people who drink only one pint of beer before driving is a legislative change that requires reliable evidence as to its benefits; further notes that one potential conclusion of the research is that a more effective policy tool may be to require novice drivers to have a limit of 20 mg/dl whilst not changing the limit for experienced drivers; and calls for further work to be done and a review as to trends in BAC levels in the UK to be published and used to inform the Sheffield research before any changes to legislation are tabled.

This motion has been signed by a total of 7 MPs.