Blood alcohol level limit remains at 0.08
(Aug 19/10) With member support, CRFA has once again helped hold off a bill to reduce the allowable blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for fully licensed drivers to 0.05 in Quebec. Currently, Quebec permits drivers a BAC of 0.08, whereas the rest of Canada only allows 0.05. Had this bill passed, 30 per cent of consumers would have either reduced their alcohol intake at a restaurant or simply stayed at home, according to an industry survey.
When Quebec’s Minister of Transport first tabled a bill to reduce the allowable BAC to 0.05 two years ago, CRFA and the industry helped overturn it and instead, put forth measures aimed at improving road safety. Since then, the number of alcohol-related accidents on Quebec roads has dropped significantly – only five per cent of alcohol-related accidents were caused by drivers with a BAC between 0.05 and 0.08, whereas more than 80 per cent involved drivers with a BAC above 0.08.
After the bill was recently reintroduced, CRFA and the industry used these statistics to argue that regulation should target those drivers with a BAC above 0.08. Stiffer penalties, more road blocks, photo radar and advertising should be maintained and even increased.
CRFA and its members also lobbied the Quebec government and the opposition party by:
- participating in a parliamentary commission;
- writing letters to, and meeting with, elected officials;
- utilizing a survey that showed 80 per cent of citizens believed reducing the BAC to 0.05 was unnecessary to improve road safety.
Following this action, the bill was not tabled. Although it could resurface in the fall, the Minister of Transport has indicated she may push adoption to 2012 if road safety continues to improve.