Page 5302 - Week 17 - Thursday, 13 December 1990
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Those 10 safety measures included, amongst other things, national licensing of heavy truck and bus drivers, national uniform speed limits, a graduated driver's licence system, speed limiters for heavy vehicles and compulsory child restraints. The Alliance Government has put into effect a number of these measures, with more to be implemented during 1991 and 1992. However, I must also say, as did Mr Connolly, that I personally believe that this Bill is by far the most important. The Bill, which introduces a .05 blood alcohol limit for drivers from 1 January 1991, further provides that young inexperienced drivers and drivers of heavy vehicles, dangerous goods vehicles and public vehicles be subjected to a blood alcohol limit of .02.
I believe that the introduction of .05 should have occurred long before this and, in fact, I believe that we should have always had a similar standard to New South Wales. They have had .05 since the introduction of random breath testing. It is my personal view that we should have gone down a similar path some time ago. There is no doubt that alcohol is a major contributing factor to road traffic accidents and to the road toll. Anything that we can do to reduce the road toll is of great benefit. Indeed, I think it was in last Saturday's Canberra Times that it was reported that there is a widespread drink-driving problem in the ACT. As well, there has been a sharp increase in the road toll in the last two months. That is something that I am certainly concerned about, and I am sure all of us are.
It has been reported that 39 per cent of the deaths have involved alcohol. I think 39 per cent is much too high. It is clearly in the community's interest to deter, as far as possible, any person who has consumed an amount of alcohol from driving their vehicle. Members have previously been reminded in this Assembly that in 1988 the Federal Office of Road Safety estimated the average cost of a road fatality to the Australian community to be some $580,000. On average, Australia-wide around 1,000 fatalities involving alcohol occur every year. The direct economic cost to Australia every year is well over half a billion dollars - an enormous amount of money. This is without the pain, grief and suffering associated with road trauma. It is not saying too much to say that some of those who will avoid the trauma of road accidents by these alcohol restricting measures are being saved a lifetime of pain and suffering.
The ACT community recognises the senselessness, the selfishness and the irresponsibility of people who elect to pilot a 100 kilometres per hour battering ram on public roads whilst not in full control of their faculties. The Bill is merely giving legislative expression to that recognition. The new blood alcohol limits are a significant deterrent to drivers and should serve to contribute to the reduction of the road toll. I use the word "should", but I personally believe that it will assist
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