Brownlee Gerry: Land Transport Amendment Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBrownlee Gerry: Land Transport Amendment Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 30 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19718. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister of Transport):I move That the Land Transport Amendment Bill be now read a third time. The bill is designed to lower the current adult drink-drive limits demonstrating that the Government does have a commitment to improving road safety in New Zealand making Safer Journeys the Government’s 10-year road strategy programme all that much stronger. Safer Journeys was a vision to improve the safety on our roads and to see those roads become freer of death and serious injury. Although we celebrate the lowering of a road toll this year some 250-plus people have died on our roads in the 12 months. If that were to happen as a single event it would be a total tragedy that would paralyse the nation. It is important that we continue to look for ways to reduce death and serious injury on our roads.As part of the strategy the identification of drink-driving was an area of high concern. The second Safer Journeys action plan set out the Government’s intention to make a decision on drink-driving limits before the end of 2013. After considering the results of the research which Cabinet required to be done back in 2010 and taking a series of other types of advice the Government moved to introduce the Land Transport Amendment Bill to reduce the drink-driving limits for adults. The Land Transport Amendment Bill will reduce the breath-alcohol limit from 400 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath to 250 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. The blood-alcohol limit will reduce from 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood to 50 milligrams.Research has shown that the cognitive abilities of drivers do become impaired at levels below the current limit for adult drivers. This bill seeks to reduce that risk. Work undertaken by officials suggests that lowering the limit will also reduce drinking and driving over the current limit. This seems to be an experience where the limit has been lowered in other countries. New Zealand in fact is well placed to capitalise on reduced limits because there is a strong enforcement regime in place. As crash risk increases exponentially with increasing alcohol levels even a modest reduction in the level of offending by drivers over the current limit can result in significant road safety benefits. Such a shift in behaviour has been observed in the lower number of young drivers detected drinking and driving following the Government’s initiative to introduce a zero alcohol limit for young drivers. Lowering the adult drink-driving limits will send a clear signal that consuming alcohol at high levels when driving is unacceptable. This should save lives. It will reduce injuries. Officials have estimated conservatively that an average of 3.4 lives will be saved and 64 injuries prevented each year.Although the intention is not a money saver it is worth noting that this will mean a net benefit of over $200 million over 10 years. It will also mean that many many families that might suffer the tragedy of a loss like this and the effects that it has on them will be spared that particular agony. The bill will also put in place an infringement offence regime for drivers who fall between the new and the old limits. The infringement regime will provide a strong deterrent for drivers caught between those limits. The imposition of a $200 infringement fee and 50 demerit points is not a soft option. Any driver who accumulates more than 100 demerit points from driving offences within a 2-year period receives a 3-month driver licence suspension. Finally the bill contains amendments of a technical nature that support the policy aims.Over recent years public attitudes towards drink-driving have changed markedly. I think the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee has done a very good job in taking this bill and putting it into a form that is reasonable and workable and I am grateful for the wide support across the House. There was a member’s bill in the name of Iain Lees-Galloway that some said moved the Government to action. The reality is that we were well down the track and although I commend the member for expressing through his member’s bill the same sentiments and concern that the Government has exercised in bringing this bill to the House I think it is worth noting that there are few in this House who would not see this as a positive move in our community.There will be those out there who say that it is too restricting on people etc. Well all I will say is that there is no restriction in this bill on enjoying yourself out of your home in a public place where alcohol is being served; it is simply a restriction on what you may do behind the wheel of a car after such consumption. So people need to think their way through their travel plans etc. I think that is actually happening right across New Zealand. More responsible attitudes are being taken. So it is appropriate that between the two limits—the old limit at 80 and the new one at 50—it becomes an infringement. It sits there to serve as a reminder to people that once you go past that 80 limit you are in a very impaired state and should not be behind a wheel. I do thank the House for the widespread support that I would expect the bill to get toward the conclusion of this debate. It is a good piece of legislation and it will be good for New Zealand. Thank you.