ASSESSING THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF LOWERING THE LEGAL BLOOD ALCOHOL LIMIT TO 50 MG% IN CANADA

The purpose of this review is to estimate the potential impacts of lowering the legal limit in Canada to 50 mg%. Four lines of evidence which are most relevant to estimating the effects of a reduction of the legal BAC limit to 50 mg% are considered. The first is research on the effects of alcohol on the skills and abilities necessary to drive an automobile (i.e., experimental studies). The second line of evidence is epidemiological research on the BAC found among various groups of drivers and the risk of collision involvement at various BACs. The third line of evidence is research on the impact of lowering legal BAC in other countries and jurisdictions. Lastly, other possible impacts of lowering the legal BAC are noted, such as public acceptance, police discretion and possible judicial and penal outcomes. A large number of experimental studies have been conducted on the impact of low doses of alcohol on driving-related skills, and it is clear that the impairing effects of alcohol on the skills necessory to drive safely begin at low BACs and increase with increasing BACs. Epidemiological research has allowed identification of the impact of alcohol consumption on the risk of collision involvement. The studies reviewed suggest that, overall, individuals in the 50 to 80 mg% range are one and half to ten times more likely to be involved in a collision than a person who had not been drinking. Many evaluations of the impact of introducing or lowering a legal BAC limit have been reported. These studies suggest that the maximum impact of a 50 mg% BAC limit could be a 6% to 18% reduction in total motor vehicle fatalities; in other words an estimated decrease of between 185 and 55 fatalities per year in Canada. (A)

• Corporate Authors:

  Transport Canada

  Road Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulation Directorate, 330 Sparks Street
  Ottawa, Ontario  Canada  K1A 0N5
• Authors:
  • MANN, R M
  • MacDonald, S
  • Stoduto, G
  • Shaikh, A
  • Bondy, S
• Publication Date: 1998-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 69 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crashes; Drunk drivers; Drunk driving; Evaluation and assessment; Law enforcement; Prevention; Safety
• Geographic Terms: Canada
• ITRD Terms: 1661: Accident prevention; 8018: Canada; 1631: Collision; 2231: Drunkenness; 1534: Enforcement (law); 9020: Evaluation (assessment); 1665: Safety
• Subject Areas: Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00811293
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transportation Association of Canada (TAC)
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Jun 7 2001 12:00AM