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Not long ago, the Government of British Columbia introduced a new blood alcohol limit. Sanctions can be imposed if the driver has a blood alcohol content of .05. This is a change from the previous .08 blood alcohol limit. (See the Government of BC website: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/osmv/impaired-driving/index.htm ) Do you think the legal alcohol limit should be reduced in Alberta as well? What would be the economic benefits and/or drawbacks? Who would benefit? Who would be harmed? What would be the social benefits and/or drawbacks? Remember, keep your response short and concise.
I believe that the limit is fine as is, but they are two sides. I think they're should be lowered to a certain age, like maybe till your 21, thats a fair age, because you should not be drinking in the first place while driving. Everyone truily benfits, I do not see any problem with this if there are a limit to a certain age, and the only drawbacks that I could think of would be that some teenages would not be happy, but would have a better chance of them not getting in accidents and less people would be harmed from other drivers.
ReplyDeleteI think the legal limit is fine where it is.
ReplyDeleteIf the legal limit was reduced the one that would suffer the most would be any place that sells booze because drivers would be more warry on how much liquor they are consuming. In the long run though the roads would be safer.
- Derrick C. (Section J)
I think if the government lowered the limit it would be fine.
ReplyDeleteI strongly believe that if you drink you shouldn't be driving at all.
Just because the legal is .07, doesn't mean you can drive you can drive with .05, if you can't control your car. You judgement is still impaired with just one drink.
Cody (Section H)
Yes，I believe and support the legal alcohol limit should be reduced in Alberta as well.
ReplyDeleteIf drivers drink less and less,others will get more and more safety on the road. Also, the economic would be benefits from the limit. From the surface, comparing with before, people buy lower alcohol, but in fact, people will spend more money on other goods to incent the economy not only the alcohol based on the good situation such as body, emotion, and income. The teenager might not be happy due to the limit, but they can get benefits from the rule. They can get better control themselves when they drive the cars to avoid getting into an accident. Thus they can save more money and life.
I totally support the reduction of legal alcohol blood limit in Alberta. DUI has been a serious problem which costs a lot of tax payers' money for trials. I believe this is an economic benefit rather than drawbacks because it does not impact on the beer and wine industry at all, plus there is no harm to anybody; it just reinforces the law and everyone 's responsibilities. Less accidents involved means more life is saved and less law suits is filed.
ReplyDeleteI just searched around and found that there are other countries which have set even a lower alcolhol blood limit, for example China: 0.02%, Japan: 0.03%, India: 0.03%. The level of 0.05% is popular for most of the countries and Canada and the United States seem to stay at the upper end of the scale.
The benefits of lowering the alcohol limit in Alberta would extend to everyone on the roads. Emergency rescue would be utilized more effectively. It would also improve moral in anyone who has lost someone in a drunk driving accident, and those involved in organizations such as MADD.
ReplyDeleteIt would increase profits for companies such as, car insurance (rate increase and less claims), legal services, Government (more fines), taxi service.
It would decrease profits for any company that serves alcohol by a small amount.
The alcohol limit being lowered in Alberta would benefit the majority of people (with the exception of bar owners and alcoholics).
I say YES Alberta should lower the limit.
p.s. I like the first responce about an age limit however I think a weight limit would be better ;)
I think the limit is fine where it is. People are still going to drink and drive whether the limit is 0 or .08, because it is their choice. The only time people will not drink and drive is when everyone in the world has a breathalyser in their vehicle that they have to blow into before their car allows them to start it. Whether you lower or higher the amount that a person can consume I don't believe anything will happen because once again people are going to do what they want, because for the most part especially living in the city there is less of a chance getting caught. If people want to lower the amount of drinking and driving then why is there not more police to stop more people or to put up more check stops or have police wait outside of areas where alcohol is served? That I believe would cut the amount of drunk drivers in the world, not a limit.
ReplyDeleteI think Alberta should reduce the alcohol limit as well because there are a number of accidents related with alcohol happening each year. In addition, the weather of Alberta in winter is terrible and the road condition is terrible as well. Therefore, the drivers need more caution and focus when they are driving. Driving impair their ability to focus, thus makes the possibility of accidents increase.
ReplyDeleteThe economic benefits include the decrease of the treatment expense on the victims of accidents and decrease insurance expense. The drawbacks are the less benefit of alcohol industry and alcohol retailers. Some restaurants and bars will probably suffer the loss of profit since people will have less interests to drink at the restaurants and bars.
I think the taxi company will benefit from it because after the people drink, they will very probably call the taxi to go somewhere else. Insurance company will benefit as well because with the accidents becoming less, they will pay less insurance for the victims.
Social benefits involve more and more people begin to be aware of the damage brought by alcohol, decreased accidents, decreased injuries for the families and more safe social environment.
I think the legal alcohol limit should be reduced in Alberta, because people cannot be very conscious when they drive a car after drinking beer or wine. Even though the number of death is not big change in B.C. we can predict the car accident related to the impaired driving should be decreased, less injured and less died. Everyone benefits from it including the drunk driver. Of course the consumption of beer or wine in the bar or restaurant will go down due to the new rule setting up, probably the demand of the alcohol will decrease so the brewers’ profit will be going down and fewer taxes come in the government budget. However, how much we have to pay for the death. It is really heavy cost for the impaired driving.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is always a controversy, in my opinion that legal alcohol limit is not necessary because with the .08 blood alcohol any drivers is perfect to drive as .08 is a really low level. The economic benefits of this regulation are going directly to the taxis company at the same time that the bars are going to decrease sales. The alcohols industry is no necessary be the one that is harmed due the fact that people are still going to buy alcohol even to drink in their house. On other hand the social benefits are that the decrease of traffic accidents on caused by the high alcohol blood level.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the new limit introduced in B.C. is a smart move for the government to make. Not only will it save lives but it will also push people to realize that drinking and driving is not a small crime. From an economic prospective there are different ways you can look at it. First of all even though people are being fined and having their licenses suspended for 3 days for being in the warning limit the economy will benefit from those fines and it will produce a larger profit for the government. At the same time it will save tax payers money for the trails that people must go through after being criminally charged and it will save tax payers money when public property is damaged with no one being held responsible for the damage (hopefully more people will realize that paying for a cab or walking really isn’t a difficult thing to do). Another prospective is that people who are caught within the warning limit will quickly learn that drinking and driving is NOT o.k. no matter if you have one or ten drinks. Another point of view that can be mentioned is the hardship that these fines can cause on individuals. Some people may have trouble paying the large fines and in turn it will end up affecting how much they spend. If many people are fined large amounts it could end up negatively affecting the economy because less money will be put back into it. Overall I believe every province in Canada should enforce this law.
ReplyDelete-Jared Helfrich
After I heard the new statute about driver’s blood alcohol limit from 0.8 reducing to 0.5, severe financial penalties and driving ban if the driver fails to obey in BC, I agree with the changes made. I think Alberta’s government should follow the BC government’s step and release the same rule in order to decrease the traffic fatalities. According to the CBC news reports, there are 22.5 per cent of drivers involved in fatal crashes that had consumed alcohol prior to the incident and the total injuries and deaths were 22,015 in Alberta in 2008. Certainly, the 0.5 blood alcohol limit will shrink the alcohol selling in certain business, such as bars, restaurants, and liquor stores and even harm the government tax income, because if people are concerned about severe penalties, more and more people will not drink alcohol prior to driving. As indicated by the opportunity cost theory that what must give up as a result of making a particular choice: if we can reduce fatal collision rate by tightening the driving regulations related to alcohol use, again, think about the number of deaths and injuries in 2008, our provincial government will be able to save large portion of direct and indirect health care spending, and efficiently distribute those valuable health care resources to help finance elders, children, and women of the alberta. Moreover, this situation will not only reduce the insurance cost for both the insurance company and individual, but will also help avoid many sad tragedies in our community.
ReplyDeleteMark yu
(http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2009/07/27/alberta-traffic-statistics-deadly-crashes-alcohol.html#ixzz1C7DAWHlF).
I think that the legal alcohol limit should be reduced in Alberta. Everybody would benefit from having a tougher legal limit whether they realize it or not. People who are over the limit would benefit because if they got caught, that’s one less drunk driver off the road and one or more life that was saved. The bars would definitely be harmed; if people are going to follow the rule and not go over 0.05 then they won’t drink as much as much. Taxi companies would benefit because people would be using them more to get around/go home if they plan on getting extremely intoxicated. Social benefits include people knowing that drinking and driving kills and if you are going to get caught, you will pay the price. Also accidents and injuries will hopefully be severely less so families won’t have to deal with a death of a loved one.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the new alcohol limit should not have been put in effect. I do not see how this new law will save lives, I believe that individuals who drink and drive will continue to drink and drive no matter what the legal limit is set at. The economic benefit of the limit would be that the more individuals who are caught with a 0.5 blood alcohol level would have to pay a number of fines and would have their insurance premiums increased. The profits from the fines would go towards the government, and in return be placed back within the economy. An economic drawback would be that bars and restaurants would be taking in less profit since individuals would be less likely to risk getting charged for having a beer. People who received a large fine would most likely spend less on other items in order to pay for the fines, which means less money is flowing into the economy. If they did not lower the limit then the restaurants and bars would benefit while taxi services would be harmed. Socially I don’t think that the new limit will cause people to not drink and drive, it will harm the people driving home from the bar who had a single beer and may not even be drunk but blow a 0.5.
ReplyDeletePersonally I feel that this topic is one a grave concern, the rules in place right now do not really follow any specific guidelines. Lowering the max blood alcohol limit would not change anything. Instead they should focus there effort on a better strike system that applies to everyone. I read in the Calgary herald yesterday that a women in her 50's will be spending no time in jail after hitting a 26 year old male city worker putting him in criticle condition. When questioned she said she just left a bar. She recorded .11 blood alcohol, if these roles were reversed what punishment do you think the young person would receive?
ReplyDeleteTate shannon section - o
Yes, Alberta should do the same thing as BC does - lower the blood alcohol limit from 0.08 to 0.05, here are the points:
ReplyDelete1. Social Benefits and drawbacks: people do not see that many their loved ones lose their lives by drunk-driving. But, it will reduce our social net-working, making our isolated boring life more boring. If you are going to a party, you might cancel your plan thinking that you can only drink one beer.
2. Economic benefits and drawbacks: new limit of 0.08 will do great benefits. The lost from car crashing, smashing into properties, etc. will be reduced. However, demand of alcohol will go down, which will hurt our alcohol production in AB. And labour cost of more cops who perform the daily road-side screen will be up.
3. Who would benefit and who would be harmed: obviously pedestrains, all the drivers on the roads, and young kids who tend to drink-and-drive will benefit from their lives being saved. Hotels, restaraunts, pubs, and some people who drink responsibly will be harmed.
Anyways, I strongly go with 0.05 in Alberta.
I think the alcohol limit should be reduced in Alberta because it will at least affect the judgment of people who plan to drink and drive. The alcohol reduction may negatively impact many local stores such as bars, restaurants, and liquor store. The situation will cause less business as many people will be inclined to even drink one beer as that might tip the scale. Economic benefits would include an increase in government funding due to lofty charges from many drivers who are caught by the 0.05-0.08 scale. Insurance companies could take the hit both ways as they would gain profit due to more people buying insurance to reduce cost of damages, but it could also push some people into not drinking at all while driving and lower their need for damage insurance. Overall, I believe that this new law will lower the risk of people who drink and drive and possibly save many precious lives in the process.
ReplyDeleteIf the limit is to be reduced it should be reduced. Theres no need to have a warning zone as BC does. It's like the government is saying you're being bad, but not bad enough to fine you the whole way. I don't think it will disrupt supply and demand. If people want to drink they will drink. And drunk drivers drive home expecting they will not get caught, (if they knew they would get caught they wouldnt do it) so raising they price will not change their risk tolerance.
ReplyDeleteI believe that they should lower the limit because compared to BC's new law; Alberta's blood alcohol level seems too high, 80 mg%. The repercussions of lowering the blood alcohol level would be a decrease in DUI accidents. Economically you would impact bar owners, because consumers will think twice before purchasing more drinks in theory. People will be aware of this new law, and they will be inclined to seek another way of transportation if they decided to drink in excess to avoid the hefty fine if they would be caught. The economic benefits of lowering the blood alcohol would be the jump in tickets that would be handed out if they happen to get one. The taxi cab will benefit from it too, because people will have to use their service to get home. Socially it will benefit the already popular opinion of “Don’t Drink and Drive”. The establishments who serve alcohol mainly will be harmed by these changes, but it is also a social responsibility of them if an individual had already enough.
ReplyDeleteEven with these changes, people will still do it. And it happens barely a few months after the new law was declared in BC. You will find some that don’t care and still will drink and drive even with a hefty fine.
I support the reduction of the legal alcohol limit in Alberta as well.Economicly,I dont think there would be much of a draw back. People would still buy alcohol and support the alcohol industry, however they will likely just make safer decisions when it comes to driving after drinking, such as taking a taxi or having someone sober drive them. This in theory will lower the amount of DUI and alcohol related deaths in Alberta, which is nothing but a step in the right direction. Everyone would benefit from this, because they are at less of a risk of being involved in an alcohol related accident.Transportation companys will also benifit because people will have more incentive to take a taxi home when they have been drinking.
ReplyDeleteBars/clubs, liquer stores,restaraunt, and other alcohol serving companys might have minimul drawbacks from this rule being imposed because people may be hesitant to drink more while going out. however, people will still consume alcohol and inevitably, there will be some people who will ignore the new rule all together. therefore the drawbacks for alcohol companys will be very minimul.
socially speaking, we will have benifits when more people around us are safe and at lower risk of being harmed because of alcohol. the drawback will be that we may not be so willing to go to social gathering which may lead us to drink and drive, therefore we will not be as active socially.
all in all i think its a rule that should be official.
I would overall support lowering blood alcohol limits in Alberta, although I don’t personally don’t believe it would create a significant change in the number of drunk driving incidents. Harsher punishments, fines and driver’s license suspension may concern some individuals, but many people who choose to drink and drive would still take the risk. When a person is intoxicated, their judgement is impaired, and they may make the decision to drink and drive. If the government of Alberta were to create stricter penalties for drunk drivers, it should be in addition to other means of preventing these incidents. This would include heavily funded anti-drunk driving campaigns, easily available alternatives, such as reliable and safe public transit, incentives for cab drivers, as well as rehabilitation and support to help people who abuse alcohol. This would help to educate the public and prevent situations in which people chose to drink and drive.
ReplyDeleteThe economic and social benefits that would occur would be worth the initial investment. With fewer accidents occurring, there would be less strain on the healthcare system, and the police force. For the individuals who chose not to drink and drive, they would continue to money to spend on goods and services and the decreased death toll would result in fewer people being removed from the work force. With a combined effort of fines and alternative measures of preventing drunk driving, revenues from bars and liquor stores wouldn’t decrease substantially, seeing as how the public would have easy access to a variety of alternatives.
On my opinion, a new lower blood alcohol limit for drivers will have a main impact in the reduction of car accidents. Therefore, it could affect the economy of the province.
ReplyDeleteStarting, a new lower blood alcohol limit would have a psychological impact on consumer. The demand of alcohol will decrease, so the consumption will decrease as well. All this would mean less money in the economy, and therefore a contraction of the economy of the province. When the government takes measures to reduce consumption is to control the inflation rate, but as Alberta’s economy doesn’t have a high inflation rate, it wouldn’t have a positive impact in the economy. Thus, assuming a ceteris paribus this measure just would have a negative impact in the economy. However, evaluating all the variables that would be affected for this measure, the conclusion could be different. Taking in consideration the Alberta budget has a deficit, changing the blood alcohol limit, government probably just want to reduce this deficit. Government has a high spend in Healthcare and Polices services, so they have to reduce these expenses. Also, a new lower alcohol limit would increase the income of the government, so that more drivers would have to pay tickets for being driving with a higher blood alcohol limit. Lastly, the income of taxis would increase because more people would prefer to pay for a taxi rate than drive.
In conclusion, a lower blood alcohol limit will have more positive impacts in the economy than negative. This measure would have a social benefit and an economic benefit as well. The only sector affected negatively for this measure would be the liquor store and bars market. However, there are many sectors affected positively such as government, taxis market, etc.
Carolina Urribarri
Econ-250 O
Feng
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree the policy of legal alcohol limit in Alberta.
Limiting legal alcohol will benefit majority people, because people will be safer. On other hand, government will lose tax from alcohol industry.
Thinking about economy, the alcohol industries, restaurants, bars will get fewer benefits from this policy, while taxi companies, car insurance companies will benefit it.
In addition, Limiting legal alcohol will lead less accidents happen. It means more lives are saved, and less emergency treatment spend. It not only saves taxpayers' money, but also makes them feel safe.
Limit alcohol may decrease the chances of making friends , but a safety, lovely society environment makes people happy.
I think that yes, the legal alcohol limit in Alberta should be reduced to a blood alcohol content of .05. If this law is imposed, it will benefit the society as a whole. It would be safer for everyone, because it will reduce impaired drivers, and encourage many people to arrange designated drivers. For the bars, pubs and restaurants that serve alcohol, they would be harmed because many people will choose not to order liquor. On the other hand, this will be an advantage for cab companies, because some bars would convince their customers to take the cab. Therefore, cab companies will increase in profit.
ReplyDeleteAlcohol use is a leading cause in one third of the road accidents in Canada resulting in death and serious injuries. British Columbia has lowered the legal BAC limit for sanctions from .08 to .05. Alberta should also follow suit and enforce strict rules and regulations. Alberta has large young population, higher disposable income and legal drinking age limit of 18 years resulting in higher alcohol use. Studies show that in case of BAC above .05 there are 7 percent more chances of fatal crashes. The Government of Alberta, liquor retailers, hotels and bars have a common interest in alcohol sale as it results in more revenue and jobs. Government earned $685million revenue in 2009 from the sale of alcoholic beverages (See Statistics Canada website http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/100420/t100420a1-eng.htm). Lowering of BAC limit implies reduced liquor sales and less revenue for Government of Alberta. Reduced demand for alcohol will cause decrease in its supply, causing loss of jobs in areas of alcohol production and distribution. But it will make roads safe and save the government estimated economic losses of $1.5 billion that are incurred in the aftermath of alcohol related accidents due to hospitalization, emergency response, police intervention, property damage, extended health care in case of disability, insurance and legal proceedings. It will be socially beneficial as lower limit will discourage the people from impaired driving, resulting in responsible behavior, reducing the number of fatalities and economic costs. The Taxi business, communities, service agencies, families and individuals, are likely to benefit. BAC .05 is a standard in most of the western countries. The international practice shows there is a two year lag in the implementation of law and proven effectiveness. Therefore, it will be a slow and gradual process and government will need to create awareness by education, to change social attitudes resulting in reduced alcohol related harm.
ReplyDeleteFaria Rafique
Section O
We all know that large percentage of accidents is due to drinking and driving. Since alcohol could cause impairment, I’d say Alberta should reduce its alcohol blood limit and increase the penalties. In this case, drivers would think not only once, but twice before they’d drink and drive. If Alberta would reduce its alcohol blood limit, the demand for liquors would remain as it is or maybe go down just a little. I would say that the pubs, clubs or any other establishment with same mechanics as them would experience a little drawback. People would think of just having a party at their house so they can all drink as much as they want without driving themselves home. The other scenario is that, when pubs and/or clubs are full; taxi cab would benefit a lot because people would want to go home and not sleep on the curb of downtown. Overall, reducing the alcohol blood limit would benefit every Albertans from the less risk of accidents on each and every road in Alberta.
ReplyDeleteI think that the government of Alberta should also lower the blood alcohol limit because most collisions and fatalities are usually alcohol-related. The benefit of this would be that there would be less collisions and more responsibility. No one would be harmed in this case, in fact, I think more people are likely to be less harmed if the blood alcohol limit is lowered.
ReplyDeleteI honestley do not think that it would make a difference if you were to lower it or not. When you think about it, the people who are getting DUI's and causing car accidents don't care what the limit is, if they did they wouldnt have gotten in to there car in the first place. I feel if you were to lower it, it would not affect companies selling alchohol, they are still going to sell just as much as before. There would still be as many collisions and accidents as before and unfortunitley EMS would still have to waste there time cleaning up there messes. So overall I don't feel it will benefit, because the rational people in this world are smart enough to not drink and drive at all.
ReplyDeleteThe only way it would benefit is if they were to install harsher punishments to those caught drinking and driving, as opposed to the slap on the wrist the Canadian governemnt is so famous for giving.
I believe that the blood alcohol level is good where it is. The benefits of implementing this law would be that people would be more aware and concerned about how much they've had to drink. A drawback would be that there is no way for the average person to test their blood alcohol level and with .08 there is more room for error than with a .05, which would result in many undeserving fines and penalties. The police department would be the main people to benefit if this law was implemented. However, this law would harm more people than it would benefit.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that changing the limit would really make a difference, whether it is at 0.05 or 0.08 people are still going to drink and drive. The only people who would be effected would probably be the bars and places where sell beer. I think they would be wasting their time discussing the legal limit because do they think that if they change it,people are going to be like oh they changed the limit we can't drink and drive anymore. I certainly don't think so.
ReplyDeleteJameli Ayache Section J
I believe that Alberta should keep the blood alcohol limit the same. The reason why it should be the same is that if the limit was reduced to 0.05, then the chances of a drunk driver will be higher then it would be at 0.08. The economic benefit will be the business in the bar's because people will be cautious on how much they will be drinking. Although, lowering the limit might sound safer but not many people know their alcohol limit. A drawback would be more people would fail the test because the limit has been reduced and also a higher chance that more drivers will be in a accident. In conclusion, I think that the limit should not change in order to not raise any accidents and reduce drunk drivers on the road.
ReplyDelete-Johnny Duong
It is a fact that, 708,000 persons were injured and 74,000 of them were seriously harmed related by drunk driving in Alberta every year. In my opinion, the legal alcohol limit should be reduced in Alberta as well due to the poor weather and bad road condition in winter. It is essential to lower the alcohol limit in Alberta in order to reduce accidents caused by drunk driving. If the alcohol limit is reduced, it would benefit majority of people who drive on the road and passengers who sit in the car. When people get drunk, they cannot control themselves. It is very dangerous if they drive after they got drunk. On the other side, the new blood alcohol limit would benefit the economy because government does not pay more money on treatment expenses and legal services, etc. Also, car insurance companies will increase their profits rapidly due to less car accidents would occur. Moreover, the taxi company also will get great benefit because people who drank wine would take a taxi to go home instead of driving by themselves. If the government introduces a new blood alcohol limit, the society will get benefit as well. The creation of the new blood alcohol limit could let more and more people realize that drunk driving will hurt everybody and the economy, and it will create a safety social environment for everybody. As we all know everything has two sides. If the government introduces this law, may be a number of beer and wine industries would decrease their profits because of the lower demand. Furthermore, some restaurants, bars and alcohol retailers will lose their money. Also, teenagers and alcoholics are not happy because they cannot drive once their blood alcohol limit is higher than 0.05. All in all, Alberta should be introduced a new blood alcohol limit. Although it would be harm some beer and wine industries, it can save many people’s lives. For sure, life is the most important thing for everyone. As a result, not only Alberta but also all provinces need to introduce this new blood alcohol limit.
ReplyDeleteQi Wen Liang
Econ 250-O
The main argument against the lower legal alcohol limit seems to be the decreased sales of alcohol and the subsequent repercussions such as loss of jobs due to alcohol companies not making enough profit and the decreased taxes collected by the government. While I do agree that the lower limit will have negative effects, I do not believe it will have a big enough impact to affect the economy significantly.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand though, I also do not believe that the lowered limit will have the effect that they are hoping for. In my opinion, just lowering the limit won’t have too much of an effect. A more effective way to deal with this issue is to expand the net rather than just trying to make the holes smaller. I think that along with the new limit, checks should be done more frequently and in more locations. With these changes I believe there will be at least a somewhat decent increase in the amount of people caught drinking and driving. Subsequently, there will be an increased amount of money collected from the fines which could then be used to potentially fund new jobs, such as officers that check blood alcohol levels as their main priority which in turn would also help combat unemployment.
In short, I believe that unless they have the intention of going further with this idea it will be a waste of time. Although, I suppose just the idea of the lower limit could help put the minds of some people at ease regardless of how effective it really is.
When British Columbia changed its drunk -driving legislation in September they established the toughest drunk driving laws in all of Canada. Since this new legislation has been in effect restaurant and bar owners proclaim that business has shriveled up. Not only has the bar industry been harmed but layers complain that they do not get any calls for drunk-driving cases since cases are now handled completely at the scene and do not need any court intervention. Since these economic drawbacks have been observed in British Columbia it is possible that the same results would occur in Alberta if legislation was to take effect in our province.
ReplyDeleteA prediction that I would make it that if more people are getting slammed with tickets and fees they may be reducing the purchasing of some consumer goods along with discretionary goods. If Alberta instituted new drunk driving legislation it would be expected that lawyers, bars and restaurants would suffer significantly.
I do not believe that Alberta should change its drunk-driving legislation but rather enforce the laws that are in place, by utilizing check-stops and making it mandatory to take action when people blow over the limit or do not have their full license and have any alcohol in their systems. By actively enforcing the laws that already exist especially enforcing more check stops there will be a social benefit of a higher sense of security for citizens and a higher sense of fear for people that chose to drink and drive.
The new blood alcohol limit in British Columbia has been a dilemma during the last few months since the government changes it from .08 to .05, and it has had an impact in the economy. In my opinion, this new regulation will increase the number of tickets for alcohol limit since for some people reach .05 level of alcohol in the blood is really easy depending on their metabolism. However, bars and restaurants has come with a pretty smart idea to struggle with this new law which is a potential decrease for the demand on alcohol sells; for example, many people go to bars or restaurants just to have a cocktail or a simple dinner with a glass of wine, so now in some bars in BC buyers can find options like Martinis with just half shot of tequila which makes it less stronger for less price than the usual Martini, so they still can go and enjoy a good time. On the other hand, the demand for taxis in the evening might increase during the next few months since people start get use to the new regulation, they will start using taxis more often when they will want to go out in the night which also will decrease the number of car accidents for driving drunk due last year over a 1000 people were killed and 3000 more were injured. To conclude, due to the new government regulation people will have come with different ideas of how to deal with it in a way that businesses like bars and clubs will reach a new equilibrium point between the supply and demand of alcohol.
ReplyDeleteLuis Alvarez
ECON-250 O
I think the legal limit should be reduced to a 0.00 blood alcohol level. If the government is reducing it they may as well take it down to a zero tolerance policy. This way there will be no confusion as to how many drinks and what circumstances will bring up the blood level to above 0.05. This will also create a larger effect of less drunk-driving related accidents.
ReplyDeleteThe imposition of the new regulations is not necessarily harming anybody. It is merely an inconvenience for people who choose to drive after a drink or two. I think that the public transit system and taxi services would benefit from this. The demand for those services would increase. Bars and liquor stores may suffer because the demand for alcohol may decrease slightly.
I am of the belief that if you plan on drinking even one drink, you should plan for alternative transportation to driving, regardless if the legal limit is 0.08 or 0.
As much as I’d like to say that raising the blood alcohol level will in fact stop drunk driving, it is not true. The penalties that you will receive in BC is expensive, however, most people are still taking the risk. I think the only way to learn is for a drunk driver to get caught. This would probably make them think twice about doing it again. In the long run, the city may benefit, safety will be reassured and the risk of losing a loved one may be reduced. If implemented in Alberta, I am sure that some of the bars will lose some of their income. I think that restaurants will also lose some of their income. However, if implemented in Calgary, the transit system and taxi companies would definitely receive more business.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to determine how many drinks it will take to get you to blow a 0.08, it depends on the person. As well, there are a lot of factors you have to take into consideration. I see no point in raising the limit in Alberta because there was no significant change in BC statistics. It would be a lot easier to implement something a little more practical for the meantime. For example, cigarette packages have pictures and statistics on them. Maybe putting something like that on alcohol packaging may be affective.
The new blood alcohol limit should also be introduced to Alberta just as it has for British Columbia. Doing so would make citizens realize and become more aware of the consequence that comes along with drinking and driving. Increasing the blood alcohol limit would decrease the demand of alcohol being served and the quantity of alcohol being bought, but it would benefit the public transits and the taxi industries because then whenever people have an occasion to celebrate for or even just want a go time out for a good time and drink, they would then think twice about driving but instead they would find an alternative way of getting home safely. If a person were to get pulled over while under the influence of alcohol over the limit, they could possibly get their vehicles impounded, licenses suspended, have a very high find, and may even serve jail time. It would be worst if they were to drive after and got in an accident involving another person and killed them not only would they be serving jail time and paying a find but also they would have to live for the rest of their lives with this baggage on their back. So increasing the alcohol limit may help the number of people getting injured or killed from drunk drivers.
ReplyDeleteBritish Columbia is more of a touring province compared with Alberta. This is an indication that more people seek fun in BC rather than in Alberta, thus meaning more people would drink and possibly drive impaired compared with people in Alberta, so I don’t believe Alberta should reduce their alcohol limit. The economic benefits for reducing alcohol limit is that there will be a decrease in collisions that involve driving impaired and people on the streets are going to be safer than before. One major drawback for this decision is the decrease of people visiting bars or restaurants that provide alcohols, meaning the revenue of the restaurants and bars may drop. In a bigger frame of mind, there is the possibility that the demand for alcohol may drop, along with the price of alcohol. Of course, majority of the people who don’t drink often are going to be happy because safety is a crucial need in their lives. I wouldn’t say anybody’s going to be harmed, because there is no disadvantage of not drinking. Regarding social benefits and drawbacks, people who like to seek fun in bars and alcohol are going to be unhappy, the rest are just going to be fine as they were before. Drinking and driving doesn’t have to be simultaneous, people can still drink, but not driving afterward, taxies and public transits are optional tools.
ReplyDeleteTianLing Wang
Personally I would love to see the new lower limits introduced, not because of the drunk drivers, but the benefits of it to Alberta.
ReplyDeleteWith that aside, introducing this new law will have many drawbacks and benefits economically.
Some of the drawbacks would include decrease of sales in the restaurant and bar industry, which in turn could have cutbacks on server jobs, and the revenue gained by these businesses. If people decided to drink less going out, then the businesses will be ordering less alcohol from their suppliers. This results in overstock of already produced bottles by the supplier, factories will have to reduce their prices to meet the new lowered demand, and sell excess supply. Alcohol consumption would see an initial decrease of sales, yet after the lowered prices come in effect, more people will buy the alcohol at those prices since I believe they would think “the risk is worth it”. So in turn we wouldn’t really benefit from this long term, since short term you would see lowered Drunk Drivers, then you would see a huge rise in it once alcohol decreases in price and people start feeling safe about risking the law.
There are some benefits to this however. These fines would definitely help Alberta out of introducing a provincial tax. The money raised by the fines will help get us out of this provincial deficit, and be putting money back into the economy. It will provide funds for improved roads, more transit in busy cities, and more provincial and city worker budget. This includes hiring of more city police, since they will be needed to enforce the extra law. The province as a whole will not be the only beneficiary. Cab companies and private drive home safe companies will see an increase in their revenues. This would result in more jobs for their industry, and higher fuel consumption, which increases demand of gas.
Either way is highly arguable that Alberta introduces this law, but seeing as I don’t drive I would “LOVE” alcohol prices to come down
In my opinion, lowering the blood alcohol limit is not necessary within the province of Alberta. With such measures i believe that there would be consequences for the owners or stake holders that are part of the restraunt, night club, and even liquor store industries. I believe that the restraunt industry could suffer the worst. Individuals and partakers of the restraunt will not purchase alcoholic beverages anymore. The consumers would be nervous to even have a glass of wine with there dinner. I will not argue that there is no benefits to come out of such a situation, but I do believe that the outcomes that can hurt the industries that use alcohol to there advantages are more sevre. People need to use there own judgement and be responsible. There is no need to change the legal limit.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the lowering the blood alcohol content. I think that lowering the blood alcohol content to 0.05, as well as the strict penalties that come along with failing a breathalyzer test is essential. I believe these major, escalating penalties will better support both prevention and enforcement, save lives and prevent hundreds of injuries each year. The key economic benefit of lowering the limit would include reduction in fatalities and injuries, health and emergency costs. A drawback would result in additional enforcement costs, court costs and prison costs, depending on how they enforce the new blood alcohol limit, but it would be worth it to stay safe. Practically everyone would benefit from lowering the limit with the exception of those that drink and drive. Hopefully by lowering the blood alcohol content and with the new consequences in place people that drink and drive will realize the penalties and stop. A social benefit would know their loved ones are getting home safe, either by choosing not to drink or by having an alternative way home. A drawback would be for social organizations that provide liquor, such as bars, clubs, restaurants and liquor stores, these drawbacks may only be minimal.
ReplyDeleteAlcohol has an important role in Alberta's economic. There are not much different between 0.08 and 0.05 of blood alcohol, people who are still drinking and driving I don't think they would care for others. If Government of Alberta reduce the blood alcohol limit, I think it will effect to the restaurants, bars, lounges and where alcohol services. The supply will increase but the demand will decrease. Although, we have the law for drink and drive people such as suspense their license for a year for the first time, 3 years for the second time, and five year for the 3rd time with a charge of thousands of dollars, but we still see lots of people drink and drive, and lots of innocent people lost their lives. On the other hand, people love to drink, they should use the public transportation afterward which means it will bring benefit to the transportation people and the business of those restaurants, and bars. The economy wont effect if people respect and obey the law. Therefore, people should think twice and respect others before they would drink and drive.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the new blood alcohol limit should not be reduced to .05 because; honestly it will NOT make any sort of difference in the fatalities and/or accidents caused in Alberta each year by impaired drivers. If the law passes through Alberta we will start to see a decrease participation in restaurants and bars slowly overtime as the public gets used to it. If people can’t go out for a casual drink then they will have little motivation to follow through with going out for even a night dinner. The people who are driving over the limit have no respect for any limit being .08 or .05. They will drive regardless of whatever the limit is. By lower the limit the government will just be giving fines to innocent people who are not causing any conflict on the roads.
ReplyDeleteWell in all honesty, changing the alcohol limit in Alberta from 0.08 to 0.05 probaly won't do too much. Everyone makes decisions on their own merit therefore regardless of the alcohol limit set, people may still drink and drive.
ReplyDeleteIn my personal opinion, I lived in B.C. for 7 years and now that it has changed, I kind of see a difference in my peers opinions about drinking and driving. More of them are taking cabs or choosing a designated driver now.
If Alberta did choose to change the existing law to 0.05, you may or may not see a change in driver's actions. Whether this is good for the economy, I would think that it might be. The RCMP actually hand out a lot of 24 hour suspensions, and there is a great amount of finesw involved. If they catch more people at the 0.05 limit, they may collect more money in the long term by catching citizens who are under the influence.