Could one drink get you busted?

Cutting the drink-driving limit in half could restrict islanders to as little as one drink to be sure they are still within the law.

Based on the current drink-driving limit of 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millitres of blood, experts suggest that for the average-sized man and woman, men should drink only four units of alcohol and women three before driving or riding.

Now Government has signalled it might reduce the limit to 40mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. The new limit would be roughly equivalent to two bottles of beer for a man and one, average sized glass of wine for a woman.

But the hospitality trade last night warned that uncertainty over a lower limit could hit business even harder in an industry struggling to survive the recession — and said they would be seeking a meeting with Transport Minister Shawn Crockwell to voice their concerns.

A man of average weight, around 168lbs, can drink around four units of alcohol and remain under the current limit. Halving the limit would reduce that to two units, equivalent to a pint of beer of around four per cent alcohol by volume. A typical 330ml bottle of beer of five per cent alcohol by volume represents 1.7 units of alcohol.

A woman of average weight, between 126-140lbs, however, should drink no more than three units of alcohol, equivalent to little more than one 175ml glass of wine of 12 per cent alcohol by volume. Women absorb alcohol differently from men, partly because they are generally smaller and partly because they have more fatty tissue.

But, according to UK National Health Service (NHS) advice on drinking and driving, it is difficult to estimate how quickly people can get over the limit because there are so many variables.

The NHS’s “Drinking and You” document said: “It depends on factors such as weight and metabolism.”

It added: “Any amount of alcohol in your blood will impair your ability to drive. So it’s much safer not to drink at all than to try to calculate the amount of alcohol you are drinking.”

 “You could find you are over the limit without intending to be.”

Island Restaurant Group boss Philip Barnett, who is the Chamber of Commerce spokesman for his sector, said: “This is of major concern to us and we’re going to set up a meeting with the Minister about it.”

He said that uncertainty over the new alcohol level could hit sales at a time when the sector was already struggling to stay afloat.

Mr Barnett stressed that the industry was “fully supportive” of anti-alcohol abuse charity CADA’s drive towards responsible drinking and said that nearly every restaurant now had staff who had gone through the responsible service training course TIPS. But he added: “We don’t believe that lowering the drink driving limit is the answer.”

Mr Barnett said that a couple sharing a bottle of wine could see them drink the same amount, with the man remaining under the limit while the woman went over.

More enforcement needed

He added: “There are other ways to ensure people get the idea that as individuals they have to make the right decisions and there has to be more enforcement, frankly. I sound like a broken record, but there are restaurants hanging on by their fingernails. I don’t believe this is the right way to stop the carnage on our roads.”

Former Road Safety Council chairman Dr Joseph Froncioni said: “Even a little bit of alcohol causes impairment. The question is, how much leeway we want to allow people to make a decision: “The current level is common and it works very well, as long as we have measures in place to enforce that limit. Without sobriety checkpoints, we’re only skimming the surface of impaired drivers. Most impaired driving goes undetected in this country. I suspect we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg — we are not pursuing them.”

He added: “Other countries have reduced their drink driving levels, it’s not uncommon – but I would like to see the current levels properly enforced.”

A police spokesman last night declined to comment on Dr Froncioni’s view that the present drink driving law was not being enforced as it should be.

Announcing the proposed change, Transport Minister Shawn Crockwell said: “I choose not to give an estimation of how many drinks one can have, because quite frankly, all driving Bermudians and residents need to get to the point that when they plan to go out, knowing that they will consume alcoholic drinks, they will leave their car or bike at home.

“It is really that simple. When we factor how much money we may spend on a night’s entertainment, we need to add $25 for taxi fare so that we can enjoy a full night’s fun without having to take a dangerous and potentially fatal chance.”

The Bermuda Sun last August ran a major series on the island’s drink driving problem — and the horrendous death and injury toll on our roads caused by people driving under the influence. Bermuda’s death rate on the roads is more than double the average for developed, western countries — with alcohol and drugs said to be a major factor in many fatal road crashes. Police, anti-alcohol abuse experts and Government Ministers all agreed there was a “lax” approach to drinking and driving in Bermuda — and that the culture needed to change.