Effect on Traffic Safety of Introducing a 0.05% Blood Alcohol Level in Queensland, Australia

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Abstract
A 0.08% maximum legal blood alcohol level (BAL) for drivers in Queensland was replaced by a 0.05% BAL. As alcohol is especially likely to be a factor in night-time accidents, the evaluation focused on the extent to which night-time accidents decreased in comparison to daytime accidents. It appeared that most, if not all, of the significant 8.2% reduction in night-time hospitalization and 5.5% reduction in property damage accidents in the first year after the legislative change could be attributed to the lower BAL. The evaluation showed that the 0.05% BAL had an accident-reducing effectiveness beyond its first year of operation, although some of the accident reductions in the second and third years may have been partly the result of increased enforcement.