John MacDonald: Is it time for a zero-alcohol limit?

I heard a shocking story about someone who went out on Saturday night and, over the course of about five hours, polished off a bottle of wine. 

They didn’t share it with someone else or with other people. A bottle of wine is what this person, themselves, drunk over about five hours while they were at some do, some party. 

Then guess what this person did? They got in their car to drive home. And this is one reason why I think we need to stop messing around when it comes to drink-driving, and why I think we need to have a zero-alcohol limit.  

Because talk about a lottery. Taking a chance. This person obviously thought ‘oh, I’m fine. Yeah, I’ve drunk a bit but, you know, it was over the space of five hours, all good’, and away they went. 

So, what happened on their way home? Yep - they got pulled over by the cops and breath tested, which came back with a zero-alcohol reading and this person said ‘thank you officer, good night’, and drove the rest of the way home. 

The same weekend, another driver thought they could do exactly the same, except they weren’t quite so “lucky”. 

This other person got behind the wheel, was stopped by the cops, they did a breath test on him, and he had a breath-alcohol reading that was nearly 10-times the legal limit. 

He was in Cromwell and blew more than 2,000 milligrams of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal limit in New Zealand is 250. If you’re under 20, it’s zero. And I’m in no doubt it should be zero for everybody. 

As the police are saying today, it is “absurd and dangerous” what these people are doing —driving after drinking so much alcohol— and who could argue with that? 

I remember when John Key’s government reduced the alcohol limit for driving and how, pretty much overnight, everyone I knew was so much more cautious. In fact, I remember people deciding then that they just wouldn’t drive even if they’d had just one drink. They didn’t think it was worth the risk of getting caught.  

But I don’t think that level of vigilance has stuck.  

The other thing too is when you have a legal alcohol limit —whatever it is— it’s still pretty hard for people to decide whether they should be stepping-in and stopping someone from driving. 

Sure, if someone’s slurring their words or staggering around the place, it’s pretty obvious. A lot of the time, though, who would know whether or not someone’s ok to drive? Unless you or they have kept a written record of the intake, again - it’s just a guessing game.  

But if we had a zero-alcohol limit, it would be easy. “You’ve had at least one drink mate, you’re not driving”. No arguments. Easy. 

Now I love a beer or a glass of wine. I also like to think that I know when I should or shouldn’t be driving after I’ve had a drink. Even so, it’s still a bit of a guessing game, isn’t it? Because no one ever really knows.  

And it is possible to go out and not drink. A mate of mine was having a party out of town and I had to drive out there myself. 

So I didn’t drink. I had some no alcohol beers —which were pretty sweet and nowhere near as enjoyable as what I might normally drink— but I made a plan and stuck to it. 

Which is what we would do if it was illegal for anyone to drive with any alcohol at all in their system. And what harm would there be in that? 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Kerry Wood of Morning's podcast from
News Talk.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Sa'd be how about this. I heard a shocking story
at the weekend about someone who went out on Saturday
night and over the course of about five hours, polished
off a bottle of wine. Didn't share it with someone
else or you know, poor a glass for other people.
A bottle of wine is what this person themselves drunk

(00:31):
over about five hours, five years, five hours while they
were at some do some party. Then guess what this
person did at the end of the evening. They got
in their car to drive home. And this is one reason,
one reason why I think we need to stop messing
around when it comes to drink driving and why I

(00:51):
think we need to have a zero alcohol limit, because
talk about a lottery taking a chance. This person I'm
talking about obviously thought, oh I'm fie. Oh yeah, yeah,
I've drunk a bit, but you know, I was over
a space of five hours, but to eat all go
the way they went. So what happened on their way home?
Mm hmm, got pulled over by the cops and breath tested.

(01:15):
And I'll make this my last guess one of the morning.
But guess what happened. When they did the breath test,
it came back with a zero alcohol reading. This person said, well,
probably said thanks thanks, officer, drove the rest of the
way home. Same weekend, just gone. Another driver thought they
could do exactly the same, except they weren't quite So

(01:40):
I'm trying to find the word. I'll say lucky, but
that's not quite the right word, but you get the GISTs.
This other person also had quite a bit to drink,
got behind the wheel, stopped by the cops, did a
breath test, and he had a breath alcohol reading that
was nearly ten times the legal limit. As guy was
in Cromwell blew more than two thousand milligrams of alcohol

(02:03):
per liter of breath. That's illegal. Speak the limits two
hundred and fifty and if you're under twenty, it's zero.
And I'm in no doubt it should be zero for everybody,
for starters. By the way, I'm convinced that this person
I mentioned before who struck a you know, did a
zero after putting a bottle of wine. I reckon they

(02:24):
struck a faulty breathalyzer because I just can't accept that
someone can drink a bottle of wine and be fine
to drive even if it's been over the course of
a few hours with a bit twent can't accept it. Nevertheless,
what it came down to is someone having that much
to drink and making a decision whether to drive or not.
Just like this guy in Central Otago. He had a
truckload of grog to drink as well, and he also

(02:46):
made the decision. As far as I'm concerned, neither of
them were in a fit state to be making that decision.
As the police to say today, it is quite absurd
and dangerous what people are doing driving after drinking so
much alcohol. Who would argue with that? Would you argue
with that? I wouldn't argue with that. And I remember

(03:06):
when John Key's government reduced the alcohol limit for driving.
You remember this too, and you might remember, like I do,
how pretty much overnight everyone was so much more cautious,
or seems to be so much more cautious. You know.
I remember people deciding back then that just wouldn't drive
even if it had just one drink and think it
didn't think it was worth the risk of getting caught.

(03:28):
But I don't think that level of the vigilance has stuck.
The other thing too is when you have a legal
alcohol limit, whatever it is, it's still pretty hard for
people to decide whether they should be stepping in and
stopping someone from driving. Sure, I mean if someone slurring
their words or staging around the place, it's pretty obvious,
isn't it. But a lot of the time, who would

(03:49):
know whether or not someone is okay to drive unless
you've been keeping a record with their alcohol intake. It's
just a guessing game. But if we had a zero
alcohol limit, be easy. You've had at least one drink, mate,
you're not driving. No argument's easy. Now, look as much
as you maybe you do, maybe you don't. But if

(04:09):
you do, as much as you, I love a glass
of beer or a glass of wine. I also like
to think that I know when I should or shouldn't
be driving after I've had a drink. But even so,
it's still a guessing game because no one ever really knows.
Two people have just talked about I thought they knew allthough,
it just didn't care. And it is possible to go

(04:30):
out and not drink. I made of mine was having
a party would have mean last year out of town,
And because it was out of town, I had to
drive out there myself and so I didn't drink. I
had some no alcohol beers. Didn't think much of them,
but I made a plan and I stuck to it,
which is what every person would do if we made
illegal for anyone to drive with any alcohol at all

(04:53):
in their system.

Speaker 1 (04:55):
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