Woodhouse Michael: Land Transport Amendment Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeWoodhouse Michael: Land Transport Amendment Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 03 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19229. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (Associate Minister of Transport):on behalf of theMinister of Transport: I move That the Land Transport Amendment Bill be now read a second time. I want to thank the members of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee for their work on this bill. I also want to thank those who took the time to make a submission on it.The Government is committed to improving road safety in New Zealand and has had the Safer Journeys road safety strategy since 2010. The Safer Journeys’ vision is a safe road system increasingly free of death and serious injury. Drink-driving was identified as an area of high concern. The Government has already taken a number of measures to address drink-driving including lowering the limits to zero for drivers under the age of 20 years and repeat offenders. The Government also made alcohol interlocks available as a sentencing option for repeat and first-time drink-drivers with a high alcohol level. In March 2013 I released the second Safer Journeys Action Plan which set out the Government’s intent to make decisions on the drink-driving limits before the end of 2013. After considering the results of the research commissioned by Cabinet in 2010 and other advice the Government moved quickly to introduce the Land Transport Amendment Bill to reduce the legal drink-driving limits for adults.The bill as reported back will reduce the breath-alcohol limit from 400 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath to 250 micrograms. The blood-alcohol limit will reduce from 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood to 50 milligrams. The bill will also put in place infringement offences for drivers who fall between the new and old limits. Consequential amendments to regulations will set the penalties at an infringement fee of $200 and 50 demerit points. In the case of a driver failing or refusing to undergo an evidential breath test they will be required to undergo an evidential blood test. If the blood test result is in the 51 to 80 milligram range the driver will face a higher infringement fee of $700 and receive 50 demerit points. If the blood test result is above 80 milligrams or the driver fails to complete the required blood test they will be subject to court-based sanctions.The bill was referred to the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee in December 2013. The committee considered 106 submissions and heard from 21 submitters. The committee has recommended a number of improvements to the bill. It recommended that all drivers who request or are required to provide a blood specimen pay for the costs of the blood test. The committee also recommended setting out that blood test costs can be waived if test results are under the applicable legal limit and evidence is provided of a medical condition having led to the need for a blood specimen being taken. Some adult drivers who fail or refuse to undergo the evidential breath test will be found to be in the infringement range following a blood test. In these cases the committee recommended the proposed $500 infringement fee in the bill be increased to $700. This will simplify administration for the police because no separate fee for the blood test and associated medical expenses would need to be recovered.As a consequence of the committee’s recommendation to recover blood test costs changes are needed to the provisions in the bill that set out the information drivers need to be given. The committee recommends that all drivers required to undergo an evidential breath test be told that they may be liable to pay the blood test costs. The consequence of not giving advice concerning liability for the blood test costs would be that the costs are not recoverable. Further to this the committee recommends an amendment to the bill to require that similar information is given to drivers who have taken an evidential breath test failed it and then requested a blood test. This will also apply to those drivers who are required to undergo a blood test. The committee has also recommended a number of minor technical amendments to the bill.The changes proposed by this bill demonstrate the Government’s determination to improve road safety in New Zealand by reducing drink-driving. I commend the bill to the House.