Drink-drive limit to be halved.

[ringway]

Source. Press association report.




The drink-drive limit is to be almost halved for most drivers under the biggest shake-up in the law for 40 years.

Random breath testing will enforce the tough new limits.

At present many people can have at least one drink and drive.
Environment minister Alex Attwood said: "There is widespread public support for a step change in how we deal with drink drivers and I believe that what I am proposing will make a real difference."

The blood alcohol limit will fall to 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood for most drivers, from 80mg. It will be 20mg for young or inexperienced motorists or those who drive for a living.

Others proposals from Mr Attwood include a graduated penalty regime including fixed penalties for first offences at lower limits and random breath testing powers which would enable police to breathalyse drivers without the need to have reasonable suspicion that the driver had taken alcohol.

The proposals also include automatic referral of offenders to an approved drink drive rehabilitation scheme and removal of the right, in certain circumstances, to ask for a blood or urine sample to replace a breath test sample.

Over the last five years 75 people have been killed and 473 seriously injured by drivers impaired by drink or drugs.
Mr Attwood added: "This is totally unacceptable and I am determined to do what I can to tackle this issue once and for all."

Subject to Executive agreement, the Department of Environment intends to have drink drive legislation ready for public consultation by March 2012.

 

[st13phil]

Northern Ireland only, according to the news reports I've heard this morning?

 

[corned]

To be trialled in Norn Iron only at present.

 

[stroudwaterboy]

As someone who has attended many "accidents" in which drink has been the main cause I am always amazed that we allow drinking and driving in this country at all. I am sure if it wasn't for all the vested interests (big money) involved the limit would be zero.

If only we could get the politicians to see some of the sights of innocent victims that I have burned into my memory then they might think again, in percentage terms it is the drunk that gets away with it.

 

[clever dicky]

The grief it causes they should just BAN IT.

Not to mention the deaths, fights, unwanted births, unemployed.
And if you also worked with someone or had a family member 'Alcohol dependant' you wouldn't hesitate saying that either.

Not saying I don't or haven't, but nasty stuff.

 

[davidjpowell]

Where is the Transport Minister - surely this falls under his remit?

What I want to know, is how many of those death and injuries are caused by drivers already over the existing limit?

It's impossible to make a 'judgement' without that knowledge.

 

[Benzowner]

The grief it causes they should just BAN IT.

Not to mention the deaths, fights, unwanted births, unemployed.
And if you also worked with someone or had a family member 'Alcohol dependant' you wouldn't hesitate saying that either.

Not saying I don't or haven't, but nasty stuff.

Why should they ban something that most responsible people enjoy, don't judge the majority by the actions of the minority.

 

[artyman]

I don't drink and drive in what is probably the accepted sense, but I do indulge in a half of cider with a meal, which I am sure keeps me well below the current limit, however if the limit is lowered would I still be OK? I appreciate there are many variables, body weight, metabolsim etc but missing that one small pleasure would be sad. However you have to ask oneself is such legislation a price worth paying to save many families the heartache caused by drink.

 

[finisterre]

This sort of idiocy really bugs me.

Over the last five years 75 people have been killed and 473 seriously injured by drivers impaired by drink or drugs.

How is reducing the limit going to change that? These people were over the limit, or on drugs. A relevant statistic would be the accidents where blood alcohol is between 50 and 80mg. Instead we get an utterly pointless fact.

Whoever thought up that was not fit to make decisions.

And why should I have my freedom curtailed because of people without the sense to drive intelligently? This is like the cars are too powerful argument. If immature drivers kill themselves in a clio why should I have to drive a sewing machine?

Darwin is always going to strike out the imbeciles, treating everybody like an imbecile is hardly fair.

I object to reducing the limit.

 

[Sp!ke]

If they halve the limit there will no doubt be people caught up in this who in truth are perfectly able to drive and are feeling no effects of drinking alcohol.

The morning after springs to mind.

In Croatia where Mrs Sp!ke hails from, they changed the limit to zero. Very quickly people were found over the limit for having dressing on their salad or while driving to work the following morning having had a single beer the night before. It wasnt long before the limit was put back to where it was before as so many law abiding citizens were being caught up in the turmoil.

Personally I think the limit is fine where it is. It allows one to have a glass of wine with a meal and generally means you'll be under the limit the morning after (assuming you've not been on a massive session that is). I agree however the police should be able to do random breath tests.

Whilst driving in Holland recently I came across a police road block and each and every driver was breathalised on the way through the road block. It was done very swiftly and effectively and assuming you blew green you'd be in your way in seconds. If they did this in my local town centre on a saturday night I'm absolutely positive they would net a very good catch and in short time, get the drink drivers off the road.

 

[finisterre]

The grief it causes they should just BAN IT.

Not to mention the deaths, fights, unwanted births, unemployed.
And if you also worked with someone or had a family member 'Alcohol dependant' you wouldn't hesitate saying that either.

Not saying I don't or haven't, but nasty stuff.

No they shouldn't and yes I would hesitate. Yours is a knee jerk and repressive attitude.

What right do you have to stop me having a second pint with my Sunday lunch in the local? The accident statistics do not justify your unreasoning restriction of my leisurely weekend afternoon pleasure. In fact people that have drunk a little alcohol have fewer accidents than cold sober drivers.

 

[Sp!ke]

What right do you have to stop me having a second pint with my Sunday lunch in the local?

Two pints? Even with the current limit, I think you'd be cutting it fine here if you were drinking a 5% beer.

 

[finisterre]

Drink-Driving Guidelines

We normally take two or more hours and it is three or four pints of shandy.
I am very careful and know my own metabolism.
But thanks.

 

[MercFanUk]

I never have a single drink when I know I'll be driving - not because I have a holier than thou attitude - simply because I can never remember what the legal limit is, and what I would be allowed to drink to stay under it.

It might not always be practical, but I think new cars should be fitted with breath testers of a sort. Stick in a nice margin of error, and not let the car start if you blow say over double. I know lots would get a friend or etc to blow into it, but I imagine it would stop a fair amount of people, and it can't be that expensive for manufacturers to embed into a car surely?

 

[Howard]

In fact people that have drunk a little alcohol have fewer accidents than cold sober drivers.

I'd be interested to read this report.

 

[Mercy1]

Why should they ban something that most responsible people enjoy, don't judge the majority by the actions of the minority.

I absolutely agree. My personal limit is a single pint, max.
As usual in this namby pamby society we live in, the law abiding majority have to suffer for the irresponsible minority.
It's time we targeted the offenders - not make everyone suffer in a vain bid to sort out the bad apples.

(And why should I have to pay more for my case of Guinness at the supermarket just to solve a drinking problem that I personally do not have??!! I can handle a drink, not my fault that others can't...)

 

[finisterre]

Statistics on Drink-Driving Risk

The principal source of data on alcohol and accident risk is a study carried out by R F Borkenstein and others in the US State of Indiana in 1964 ¶. This was used as the basis for the original UK breathalyser legislation in 1967. The table below is an interpretation of Borkenstein's findings which shows the risk of a fatal or serious injury accident at various levels of blood-alcohol concentration, as compared to the risk for a completely sober driver. This needs to be seen in the context of the fact that the accident risk for a sober driver doing an average daily mileage on one particular day is less than one-sixth the chance of winning the jackpot on the National Lottery, in other words absolutely infinitesimal.

BAC Range(mg) Relative Accident Risk
0-9 1.00
10-19 0.92
20-29 0.96
30-39 0.80
40-49 1.08
50-59 1.21
60-69 1.41
70-79 1.52
80-89 1.88
90-99 1.95
100-119 4.94
120-139 5.93
140-159 10.44
160 and over 21.38

A feature of these figures that has intrigued statisticians is the reduction in accident risk between 10 mg and 40 mg, sometimes referred to as the "Borkenstein dip". This is certainly valid, not just a statistical quirk, and has been reinforced by other studies. However, it is unlikely really to indicate that consuming a small amount of alcohol will make you a slightly better driver. It is probably a combination of the fact that people driving after one or two small drinks are likely to be driving at times when the roads are quieter than average, and that they may try to compensate for the alcohol by making an effort to drive more carefully than usual. But this underlines the fact that, at these low levels, alcohol does not impair driving ability at all.

 

[Sp!ke]

The Borkenstein dip has been superseded by more controlled research.

 

[finisterre]

oh

where is that from?

 

[Sp!ke]

EU - Road safety - Crashes and injuries