Editorial: Time for zero drink-drive limit?

Hawke's Bay Today News Editor James Ford. PHOTO / File

As the sun soared on Saturday afternoon we made the call to head to Ocean Beach with our one-year-old and fish and chips in tow.

It was great to see plenty of others enjoying their weekend, too, as the sound of the crashing waves merged with the laughter of families and youngsters.

As we headed home on Te Mata road, with as much sand in our pukus as fish and chips, we were stopped by a police officer at an alcohol checkpoint.

"Afternoon sir, please count to five," said the officer.

During my quick count I noticed the number of vehicles that had been pulled to the road side.

I'm not suggesting all of them were over the limit, but it made me wonder how, even now, after all the warnings and literature, we are still appallingly bad at getting behind the wheel after a drink.

The rules are clear.

The legal drink-drive limit for drivers under 20 years of age is a blood alcohol concentration of zero.

The legal limits for drivers 20 years and over are a breath alcohol limit of 250 micrograms per litre of breath and a blood alcohol limit of 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

Yet year after year, particularly over the festive period, the number of those caught drink-driving offers a stark reminder that, as a nation, we've yet to learn our lesson.

It's not just those behind the wheel losing their lives, either.

For every 100 alcohol or drug-impaired drivers or riders who died in road crashes in 2016, 47 of their passengers and 24 sober road users died with them.

It makes one wonder, is it time for a zero tolerance stance on drink-driving across the board?