Australian State Considers Lowering BAC to .02 Percent

Drivers in Norway and Sweden caught behind the wheel with a blood-alcohol content (BAC) higher than .02 percent can face drunk-driving charges, and now the Australian state of Queensland is considering a similar standard, the Sunday Mail reported March 14.

U.S. states set their BAC standard at .08 percent; in Queensland, it currently is .05 percent, but the state government is asking residents whether the presumptive threshold for drunk driving should be even lower. Officials said research shows that such a move could cut road deaths by 11 percent.

The AAP reported March 15 that Australia's prime minister said the proposal should be considered nationally, and some public-health experts said the change was needed to cut highway deaths and send the message that drunk driving would not be tolerated.

In an article published March 17 by the Courier-Mail, the Queensland Police Union and others rejected the proposal.