Legal Blood-Alcohol Limit to be Lowered in Quebec

Quebec will be joining the rest of Canada by lowering its legal blood-alcohol level for motorists from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent, CBC News reported Nov. 30.

The decision is in line with the Quebec Road Safety Task Force’s recent recommendations. The move also came on the heels of the death of seven people in car accidents over one weekend in Quebec.

Drivers in Quebec will lose their license for 24 hours if they are found with a BAC of more than .05, said Julie Boulet, the province’s transport minister. Such drivers will not lose any points on their license or have to pay a fine, however. Harsher penalties will still apply to drivers with blood-alcohol levels over .08 percent.

Drivers younger than age 22 will not be allowed to have any traces of alcohol in their system, said Boulet.

Skeptics such as Thomas Brown, researcher at the Douglas Mental Health Institute in Montreal, say the legislation needs to be backed up by additional enforcement in order to be effective.

“Simply changing the laws makes a statement about what is acceptable social behavior, but it doesn’t necessarily change people’s behavior,” said Brown.