The Government believes New Zealand drivers aren't ready to moderate their drinking. We know they are. So take responsibility for keeping our roads safe by signing up: Two Drinks Max.
- Sign up at nzherald.co.nz here
- Sign up on Facebook here
- Use #2DrinksMax to show support on Twitter
A Herald-led campaign to lower the drink driving limit has sparked debate throughout New Zealand.
Bloggers from across the political spectrum have picked up on the Two Drinks Max initiative in its first five days.
Right wing blog Whale Oil backed a limit of 50mg, or 0.05g, per
100ml of blood, saying the current limit is allowing drunk people onto the roads.
Tom Belford of baybuzz.co.nz was strongly in favour of the campaign, urging readers to contact their local MPs to support it.
Biggie.co.nz wanted a lower limit, with penalties administered on a graduated scale, so the severely intoxicated are punished most.
Jim McVeagh of MacDoctor had a different take.
The campaign adds emotional heat to the alcohol debate while taking away rational discussion, he said.
He claims New Zealand needs to change its booze fuelled culture before lowering the drink driving limit.
Kiwiblog's David Farrar backed the idea of people signing up to not exceed more than two drinks before driving.
But he remains sceptical about whether there is enough evidence to show a 50mg blood alcohol limit will save lives.
Robust discussion on the campaign also emerged on the nzherald.co.nz Facebook page.
Most commenters were in favour of a lower drink driving limit.
Leanne Clark said the number of drink driving related crashes on New Zealand's roads is so high it is traumatising emergency services workers.
Tim Askelund said the limit should be lower than 50mg.
The risk of being involved in a fatal accident is three times higher even when a driver is reading between 20 and 50mg of blood alcohol, he said.
But Andrew Stevenson said the real problem was recidivist and severely intoxicated drunk drivers who would not care about a lower limit.
The Herald on Sunday launched its Two Drinks Max campaign on October 24.
It is aimed at lowering the New Zealand drink driving limit from 80 to 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.
More than 5000 people have signed up to the campaign online.
Another 30,000 voted in a Herald digipoll on their personal drink driving limit, with 78 percent saying they would not take to the wheel after two drinks.
