September 29, 2003

Canadians support lower legal limits for drinking drivers

Four in five Canadians want to see the current blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for impaired driving law reduced. A vast majority of Canadians (85%) feel MADD Canada's suggested 0.05% BAC is either about right or not low enough.

In a recent SES national telephone survey, Canadians were asked whether they supported or opposed a movement 'to change the laws so that people will not be able to drink as much and legally drive.' A majority -- 65% of Canadians strongly supported lowering the BAC, while another 14% somewhat supported the action.

When asked whether they supported the MADD Canada suggestion of lowering the BAC to a specific limit that would allow a 200 lb man to drink 4 drinks in 2 hours, or a 140 lb woman to drink 2 drinks in 2 hours, 48% of those surveyed thought the MADD Canada limit was 'about right', while 38% of Canadians thought the limit should be lower. Only 8% of Canadians felt the limit should be higher than 0.05% BAC.

Nik Nanos, President of SES, says, "In our surveys over the last two years, Canadians have been very consistent in their strong support for a lower BAC that would reduce the number of drinks a person could have and still legally drive. Our findings indicate that men and women, of all ages, from every region of the country, want to see a 0.05% BAC - or an even lower legal limit."

"Approximately seven of ten Canadians do not drink and drive - and I think the strong support for a lower BAC reflects Canadians intolerance for impaired driving, and our hope not to be killed or injured in an automobile crash caused by an impaired driver," says Mr. Nanos. "Support for a lower BAC has been consistently rock solid."

Andrew Murie, National Executive Director of MADD Canada, comments on the latest survey, "The international experience and the empirical research point to a lowered BAC of 0.05%. The more Canadians are informed about just how much a person can legally drink and still get behind the wheel, the more they support a lowered legal BAC limit."

"Canadians want to feel safe when they drive their vehicles - and that they won't become a statistic of impaired driving. That is why a vast majority has concluded that the BAC in our country should be lowered. Most of us understand this as an important public safety issue," says Mr. Murie. "Lower BACs mean there will be drivers drinking less - and that means increased safety for everyone on the road. And this is important for it will lead to a decrease in the number of Canadians being killed and injured as a result of alcohol-related crashes."

A Centre for Addiction and Mental Health study concludes that as much as 6% to 18%, or as high as 555 deaths a year would be avoided in Canada if the federal Criminal Code BAC were lowered to 0.05%.

MADD Canada reports that, in practical terms, the current legal limit means a 200 lb. man on an empty stomach can drink 6 plus, standard drinks in two hours and will likely not be charged with a Criminal Code offence for impaired driving. MADD Canada strongly believes this is not social drinking, but rather levels that are far too risky for other safe and sober road users.

The SES survey was taken between August 24 and September 2, 2003, commissioned by MADD Canada, and is accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

For more information, visit www.sesresearch.com, www.madd.ca, or call:

Nik Nanos, President, SES Research
(613) 234-4666
Andrew Murie, National Executive Director, MADD Canada
1-800-665-6233, x224