Drinking age disputed

Press, 1 December 1988, Page 15

Drinking age disputed

PA Wellington The police believe the drinking age should be lowered to 18 but their colleagues in the Ministry of Transport want the age to stay at 20.

In submissions to the Select Committee studying the Sale of Liquor Bill yesterday the police said the 20 age limit was too difficult to enforce and caused confrontations with young drinkers. The Ministry of Transport said, however, lowering the drinking age would lead to more accidents among young drivers. The bill would continue the present drinking age of 20 but remove the exemptions which allow younger people to drink on licensed premises in some circumstances. New Zealand had by far the world’s worst record for fatalities among young drivers, the M.O.T.’s general manager for land transport, Mr Tim Sanger, told the committee. In 1984 43 per cent of those killed in road accidents were aged 15-24. Next highest was Ireland with 35 per cent, followed by Australia and Austria, Mr Sanger said. Alcohol was a factor in about 50 per cent of fatal road accidents and 25 per cent of accidents causing injuries. The minimum drinking age and its enforcement and the influence of liquor laws and policies on the level of alcohol impairment of drivers were important issues in regard to road safety, the Ministry’s submission said. Similar numbers of drivers under 20 were found to have been drinking as in other age groups,

in spite of the fact 20 was the legal drinking age. The Ministry said the law needed to focus more on the responsibilities of hotel licensees to enforce the age limit. It would like to see offending bars suspended from trading for short periods as an inducement for licensees to police their premises effectively. “Bearing in mind the present demands on police resources, the Ministry believes that the best option is to retain the present minimum drinking age and to encourage greater police surveillance.” But the police submission said there is no greater source of frustration and conflict between youth and the police than the enforcement of the legal minimum drinking age. The police view was that people should drink liquor in sociable conditons rather than a situation which could lead to conflict. “Those conditions should not lend encouragement to break the law and thereby create an enforcement problem.” Police were constantly brought into conflict with those aged 18 or 19 who demanded to know why they could lawfully drive, fly, fight for their country, get married, have children, own firearms but could not have a drink with friends.