This Saturday the traditional breakfast of the Mendoza Wine Corporation was held in Mendoza. At the meeting there was an important presence of political and economic leaders within the framework of the Harvest that is being held in that province. Within this framework, winemakers asked to reject the zero tolerance behind the wheel law that awaits final sanction in the National Senate.
José Pepe Zuccardi, outgoing president of Coviar, was the one who led this request and stated that this law will not solve the problem of road accidents and will harm the wine industry.
“The law that is intended to be passed in the Senate is demagogic because it promises something that will not happen. It is a road safety law with a single article, which says that tolerance goes from 0.5 to 0% alcohol in the blood, when it is approved in the world that there are no traffic accidents due to alcohol with drivers who have less 0.5″, said the winemaker. And he added that “it is an absurd law for a wine country.”
It should be noted that Argentina is the 5th world producer of wines and is the 7th country with the largest vine planted area in the world. Other data: 9th exporter, 9th consumer market, 7th in per capita consumption, with 18 grape-producing provinces, 215,000 hectares, 24,000 vineyards, 17,000 producers, 900 establishments, 100,000 direct jobs and 300,000 indirect jobs.
What Mendoza say regarding the law
After the statements of the wine producer, the head of the ANSV, affirmed that the vast majority of Mendoza support the Zero Alcohol Law. Martínez Carignano, who chairs the agency, responded via Twitter and said: “In the country of the lobby, let the free and honest will of the Senators prevail.”
In addition, the official recalled and expressed that: “I met Zuccardi three times. He was always very kind. But since he might not convince me to lower the law, I became persona non grata ”.
“The people of Mendoza want this law by the vast majority, including those who work the land and produce the vines,” tweeted the head of the ANSV, citing a survey carried out by the University of Aconcagua in Mendoza, which indicates that 75 percent of Mendoza is in favor of the Zero Alcohol behind the wheel law.
”As it happened in Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil, this law will save lives, which is what we all want,” concluded Martinez Carignano.
The bill prepared by the ANSV obtained half a sanction in the Chamber of Deputies on November 24, 2022. Days later, it obtained a favorable opinion in the Senate’s Infrastructure, Housing and Transportation Commission and was enabled for debate in the Upper House .
If sanctioned, it will be established at the national level that the blood alcohol tolerance for driving motor vehicles will be zero. Currently, 13 provinces and more than 40 municipalities in the country have a zero alcohol driving regulation in their territories.
The legislative proposal is accompanied by the relatives of victims of road accidents, and throughout its parliamentary journey it added the support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), universities, scientific entities and a large part of society, given the evidence of the consequences generated by alcohol while driving, present in 1 out of every 4 serious road accidents.
