Alchool vs Fatigue and mental aberration
Alcohol vs Fatigue and mental aberration
Drunkenness and legal alcohol limit are not the same thing: it is totally wrong and immoral to use the term "drunkenness" for any case of traces of alcohol in the blood.
Knowing well the typology and mental capabilities of the US security screeners employed at US airports I seriously doubt that they could be as impartial and professional as a standard average European police officer.
Small traces of alcohol in the blood does not mean "drunkenness" as driving at 31mph in a 30mph limit area does not mean speeding.
Potentially if society would decide tomorrow to introduce a 10mph speed limit all over the country we would all be speeding. Suddenly we would all be breaking the law: similar logic could apply to the alcohol limits.
Introducing "zero level" policies in general does not help unless we decide all together within our society that we need to reach a "zero risk"society: this would mean for example the introduction of a 10mph speed limit all over Europe. Of course this would generate fantastic statistical figures for our governors with road related accidents and deaths close to the zero level. Then why shall we drive cars if we can drive at a maximum speed of 10mph? It would be a social aberration.
Alcohol zero limit is a good idea in terms of statistical trends and official figures but in reality does not bring any practical benefit to the safety of flying, especially when other major factors, which cannot be measured, are never taken into account, eg fatigue.
Unfortunately if we continue to reduce all "social risks" through zero level policies , our societies will soon end up without citizens, as all of us will be detained in a jail, either because we will be all speeding in a 5mph road or because we would be driving or flying
with a 0.000000001% of alcohol in our blood when the limit would be clearly set at 0.0%.
Very sad.
There should be a reasonable limit that would really affect performances, and not a ridiculous 0.0000....something% when other major immeasurable factors are not even mentioned (fatigue).
Honestly, I think this social trend is all terribly wrong and I feel sorry for anybody caught with minimum traces of anything in their lives who has suddenly seen his face on Sky News just above the title "Drunk Pilot"!...the aberration is already here!