THE INTRODUCTION OF 0.05 LEGISLATION IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA: A PRELIMINARY RESEARCH REPORT

This report contains the findings of the first of four waves of data collection which have been designed to evaluate the introduction of a 0.05 blood alcohol level (BAL) legislation in Western Australia (WA). It presents baseline information and confirms the appropriateness of Queensland (QLD) as a control state for the purposes of the evaluation (QLD introduced the 0.05 limit in 1982, WA in 1992). The three components of the evaluation include: traffic accident statistics, the results of community surveys and breath testing statistics. The overall number of fatal traffic accidents during the last three years has been stable in QLD and has shown a slight downward trend in WA. In WA the number of fatal accidents involving a BAL of 0.05 or higher has increased over the last three years. In QLD the trend was reversed with the number of fatal accidents involving "drunk drivers" declining over this period. The results of the community survey are presented in this report and recommendations are made on ways to improve the effectiveness and the community profile of the drink driving campaign in WA.