The Road Safety and Transport Bill, which is waiting to be passed in parliament, seeks to reduce the permissible level of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) from 30mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 20mg. A pint of beer (330ml) can send your BAC above the 20mg mark. While countries like the US and the UK have levels around 80mg/100ml, India will have the lowest limit in the world if the bill is passed in its present form. Doctors, traffic police and road safety experts welcome the move. "This is a good move. For youngsters, even if their BAC is less than 20mg, their mindset changes. They try acting smart, drive rashly and the worst is when they think they can escape us when we try stopping them," said a police officer at Tirumangalam. "The men we catch usually have a BAC of around 70 to 80. Once we had this guy whose reading showed 220." According to the draft bill, the penalty for drunk driving of school/ college buses, heavy vehicles and those carrying hazardous goods and metered service vehicle includes a fine of Rs30,000 and 12 months of imprisonment which may extend to 18 months. His/her license will also be cancelled for 18 months from the date of conviction or the date of release. For drivers aged between 18 and 30 or recently disqualified drivers, the fine will be Rs30,000. Their vehicle will be impounded for a week. For others, the penalty will be Rs10,000 fine, imprisonment of six months and suspension of license for six months from the date of release. The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which is in force now sets the limit at 30mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.