Joyce hits out at drink-drive limits

Transport Minister Steven Joyce has described legal alcohol limits for drivers as "ridiculous" and his comments are being taken as an indication that tougher measures are on the way.

Speaking at a conference of traffic experts in Auckland yesterday, Mr Joyce said he could drink three-quarters of a bottle of wine in 90 minutes yet still have every chance of being under the legal limit for adult drivers, the New Zealand Herald reported.

"That's just ridiculous," Mr Joyce told the Local Authority Traffic Institute conference.

He said there was a popular misconception that reducing the adult limit of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg would restrict motorists to little more than one standard drink if they wanted to drive home.

Mr Joyce said he wanted to hear a full range of community views on proposals set out in a Ministry of Transport discussion paper before the Government committed itself to any changes.