Overview
- The Legislative Council subcommittee compiled thresholds that set dangerous-driving for alcohol at 0.5 milligrams per liter of breath or 1.0 milligram per milliliter of blood.
- Excessive speed would qualify if a driver exceeds the limit by more than 60 km/h on roads with limits over 60 km/h or by more than 50 km/h where limits are 60 km/h or lower.
- The outline retains a clause allowing prosecutors to apply the offense when alcohol left a driver unable to operate normally even below the numeric cutoff.
- The Justice Ministry aims to submit an amendment to the Automobile Driving Punishment Law to the ordinary Diet session expected to convene on January 23.
- The panel approved the outline 11–1 and included intentional drift driving within the offense, while a national victims’ group criticized the alcohol threshold as too high and urged a lower 0.3 mg/L standard with formal operating guidelines and anti-flight measures.