Lower drink drive limit

[obi_waynne]

The UK are considering proposals to reduce the drink drive limit to match the rest of Europe.

Essentially, in practical terms, this will mean that you cannot have a drink before you drive at all.

I worry about all those that drive to work the morning after a drinking session who will still be over the new limit.

Will a reduction in the drink drive limit reduce the number of drink related road deaths?

 

[turbonutter69]

No it won't reduce it because people will still drink.

 

[thexav]

I agree with having a zero limit and if people drink the night before they should get a taxi in the following day.

It wont deter the hardcore drink drivers though.

 

[marti5]

Same as Europe?? When I lived in Belgium everybody drinks then drives ...not to excess, but say 3-4 bottles of beer, the police use to set up in a lay by on Friday nights and stop 3 cars at a time for breath tests, but they advertised the matter so people just avoided the road, also I did sit in a bar with a table full of police in the corner drinking heavily then they got a call, off they went in three VW transporter minibuses ( that's what they use) blue lights flashing....So what your saying here is Swedish style zero and not all of Europe also in Sweden no smoking in your car either!!

Every European country has different limits, so you do have to watch it when you cross a border, you can be under the limit in Germany cross to Holland and be over, when I was there I never had a drink & drove as I had a border 2km from me so you never knew if you were or not over the limit or the border especially on the country roads, one minute your in Belgium the next Holland and vice verse.....

 

[HDi fun]

A zero limit is impractical and pointless. You could still have a trace of alcohol 3-4 days after your last drink.

If we're going to reduce the breath/alcohol limit then we should also introduce a lesser penalty for those who are only marginally over it. Also, we should ramp up the penalty for those that are outrageously over the limit.

There's another point to consider here, and that's this: Why don't we use an impairment test rather than a breath test?

I do not condone drink driving and I dont do it, but in the case of a RTC I think that the burden of proof should lie with the prosecution to PROVE that the alcohol was a contributory factor in an accident and not automatically shift the blame onto a driver who is marginally over the limit.

I suspect this stance will be politically unpopular but let's say a pedestrian who's absolutely plastered walks into the path of an oncoming car (driven, otherwise sensibly apart from the fact that the driver is 0.5% over the drink drive limit) and is killed.

Is it really fair to lock up the driver for 14 years for causing death by drink driving in this situation?

 

[marti5]

I quite agree with your statements, as what if your at a set of lights and 0.5% over and somebody smacks you up the rear...you get done, insurance void etc.

Also while we are on the subject a friend of mine whom died of stomach cancer consumed two to three bottles of Nightnurse per night and was done for D/D and he was a tee total, never touched a drop....but couldnt prove it was the Nightnurse that he consumed for the pain...

 

[turbonutter69]

Agree with you totally there Hdi.

 

[Country Bumpkin]

My view is zero tolerance, I personally don't give a toss if someone is over the limit three or four days later with that quota [or not as such].
There is absolutely no need to drink and drive whatsoever. The penalty if found guilty should be an automatic five years in jail, no parole for being a good chap.
I am fed up with reading of the chaos caused by drink driving, drunks in general and other mindless morons who inhabit this country. I'll stop there or i'll be off on my soapbox and into a full frontal political blast.

 

[HDi fun]

My view is zero tolerance, I personally don't give a toss if someone is over the limit three or four days later with that quota [or not as such].
There is absolutely no need to drink and drive whatsoever. The penalty if found guilty should be an automatic five years in jail, no parole for being a good chap.
I am fed up with reading of the chaos caused by drink driving, drunks in general and other mindless morons who inhabit this country. I'll stop there or i'll be off on my soapbox and into a full frontal political blast.

You can't realistically set the limit at zero. It's quite possible to have a drink on Friday night and still register a trace of ethanol in blood or breath on Monday morning.

This is very different to someone who goes out, drinks up to what they think is the amount that will leave them just short of the limit, and then drives with no other consideration.

It's timely to discuss drink driving with Xmas approaching but we should still consider that simple driver error is the biggest contributory factor in RTCs.

If the legal limit is lowered to bring it into line with most if the rest of Europe then we need to adopt much gentler penalties for minor transgressions.

BUT - DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE - I DO NOT ENDORSE OR CONDONE IT AND I DO NOT DO IT.

If the event or function you are planning to attend is going to be so miserable that it's intolerable without a drink or even several drinks then why bother going at all?

Stay home and enjoy the stuff safely!!!