Effect on Traffic Safety of Introducing a 0.05% Blood Alcohol Level in Queensland, Australia

Abstract

A 0.08% maximum legal blood alcohol level (BAL) for drivers in Queensland was replaced by a 0.05% BAL. As alcohol is especially likely to be a factor in night-time accidents, the evaluation focused on the extent to which night-time accidents decreased in comparison to daytime accidents. It appeared that most, if not all, of the significant 8.2% reduction in night-time hospitalization and 5.5% reduction in property damage accidents in the first year after the legislative change could be attributed to the lower BAL. The evaluation showed that the 0.05% BAL had an accident-reducing effectiveness beyond its first year of operation, although some of the accident reductions in the second and third years may have been partly the result of increased enforcement.

Effects of introducing an administrative .05% blood alcohol concentration limit on law enforcement patterns and alcohol-related collisions in Canada

“…Research design Main findings Vingilis et al (1988) Ontario, Canada Administrative .05% BAC law (178) Short-term decrease-from 59% to 32%-in the proportion of drivers with a positive BAC Control series did not display significant decrease for the period under study (p-values are not reported) Smith (1988) Queensland, Austrlia Administrative .05% BAC law introduced on December 1st1982…”

Alcohol and driving: is the 0.05% blood alcohol concentration limit justified?

“…In both the Grand Rapids [z6] and Adelaide [2o] case control studies, drivers with a BAC between o.o 5 and o.o8% were significantly more likely to be in a crash than a control group of comparison drivers below o.o5%. Evaluations of the introduction of a o.o5% BAC in New South Wales and Queensland [75,76 ] have shown crash reduction benefits of the lower BAC level in comparison to o.o8 BAC. Lower BAC's also realized significant financial savings in both states.…”

Female Drivers Increasingly Involved in Impaired Driving Crashes: Actions to Ameliorate the Risk

“…The evidence is consistent and persuasive that fatal and injury crashes involving drinking drivers decrease at least 5% to 8% and up to 18% after a country lowers its illegal BAC limit from 0.08 to 0.05 g/dL BAC. [88][89][90][91] If all U.S. states were to adopt the 0.05 g/dL BAC standard and it were enforced, an estimated 500 to 800 lives could be saved each year. 92 Moreover, it can easily be argued that setting a 0.05 g/dL BAC is a reasonable standard.…”