Proposals to tighten drink-driving laws are misleading, legislators claimed yesterday.
They said they did not see how cutting the maximum amount of alcohol allowed per 100 millilitres of blood from 80 milligrams to 50 would reduce accidents.
The choice of the new standards was haphazard and not supported by medical evidence, James To Kun-sun of the Democratic Party said.
'If you admit the standard was wrong in the first place then I can accept it, but if you want to tighten the law, then you need to have good reasons,' he told the transport panel.
'What are the advantages that outweigh further restricting our freedom? I see any advantages as only marginal.' Dr Leong Che-hung, an independent who helped draft the original law in 1995, said medical evidence at that time showed more than 50mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood impaired a person's judgment and swift response. But the standard was not considered by the Government.
'I think the Government got the law wrong in the first place, but I hope it is not using the 50mg limit just because other countries use it,' said Dr Leong.
Australia, France, Greece and Japan are among countries which have adopted the 50mg benchmark.
