A useless test report

The HoS reports:

Alcohol watchdogs are calling on the Government to fast-track drink-drive reforms after a Herald on Sunday test showed adults could consume almost a six-pack of beer and still beat the breathalyser. …

Two adults – one male and one female – drank several bottles of beer and still tested under the limit during a controlled test at Pukekohe Park.

However, instructors rated their driving after having the drinks as “very aggressive” and “not safe”.

This is such a beatup.

First of all they do not tell us how many bottles or cans were consumed, how big the bottles were, what strength the beer was, over what time period was it consumed, was there food also, and how big or small the people were.

One can not make any sort of meaningful conclusion without that information.

The crash statistics show that most fatal accidents involving alcohol, had the driver at around three times the legal limit. These are the people that should be targetted, rather than hundreds and thousands of law abiding New Zealanders.

On average only one fatal crash every six months has the driver with a blood alcohol limit of between 50 and 80. Lowering the limit will do very very little to lower the road toll in my opinion, but will result in many more people being prosecuted.

UPDATE: I’ve been told the print edition of the HoS has much more info, spread over three pages, and this covers many of my criticisms about the test. I’ll go buy a copy later today.