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Alcohol limit deduction imminent
Blood alcohol limits are to be cut from 80mg to 20mg for all professional
drivers. The new reduced level has been recommended by the Road Safety
Authority and will soon become law here in Ireland. Truck drivers are
urged to modify their behaviour accordingly, as we’re now dealing
with a practical zero-tolerance approach.
In a nation renowned for excessive alcohol consumption, drink driving
has always been a major scourge. But we’re finally treating the problem
as the blight it is and new legislation is set to move ominously closer
to a zero-tolerance approach. A significant lowering of the legal drink-drive
limit – which directly affects all full-time drivers – is on
the way. And the limit is now so low that drivers can only be guaranteed
avoiding the strong arm of the law if they consume NO alcohol before getting
behind the wheel.
For too long, as a nation, we have been indifferent towards the menace
to society that is drink driving. We have turned a blind eye and viewed
our dead as collateral damage incurred during the course of over-the-top
socialising. Those days are gone.
In 2003, 37% of fatal crashes in Ireland were alcohol-related, while drink
was the main contributory factor in single-vehicle collisions (62%). Frightening
figures that have been ignored for too long…
Thus, in line with Ireland’s third Road Safety Strategy (2007-2012),
we are about to witness a reduction in the alcohol limit in line with
best-practice nations [Netherlands, Sweden, UK, Norway and France]. The
reduction will apply to provisional drivers, commercial vehicle drivers
and public transport drivers and will see the Blood Alcohol Concentration
(BAC) reduced from 80mg to 20mg. For all other drivers, the limit will
fall to 50mg. It’s all part of the Road Safety Authority’s ongoing
mission to bring Ireland in line with the safest countries in Europe,
by initially reducing road deaths to not more than 60 per million of population
per annum.
How has the impending legislative change come about? Basically, the Government
announced back in October that they had made a decision to lower the limit.
They asked for input from the RSA, who in turn prepared a report. The
recommendations went to cabinet and the end result is that the limit will
be reduced to 50mg, with the lower limit of 20mg applying to novice (learner,
provisional) and professional drivers (truckers, taxi drivers, bus drivers
etc.). This is just one of a series of measures being introduced to combat
the carnage on our roads.
Ideally, a zero limit would be introduced but this would be impossible
to police due to the alcohol content in products like mouthwash and some
foodstuffs. So the new limit is probably as close as we’re going
to get to a zero tolerance stance.
Ultimately, it’s up to each individual to know when they are over
the limit and when they are okay to drive, but the only way to be safe
now is to drink no alcohol if you intend to get into the driver’s
seat of a vehicle. Brian Farrell of the RSA explains: “It takes on
average one hour to process one unit of alcohol, and a pint contains two
units. So, if you drank three pints, you’re talking about six hours
before you can drive. But even then there are other factors that can slow
down the processing speed. Say, for example, you have had a heavy meal.
Are you a man of woman? The height and weight of an individual is another
variable. These can all play a part, and each person is unique, so only
rough guidelines can be provided.
“But people need to be aware of how quickly alcohol is processed
in their body.”
And remember that alcohol can still be in your blood the morning and day
after a drinking session, so truck drivers will now have to be extra vigilant,
with drinking the night before work totally out of the question. “Also,
the effect of the alcohol is magnified if the person hasn’t had any
sleep,” Brian continues. “Fatigue is another one of the major
contributors to road fatalities in Ireland.”
While the trucking fraternity and other professional drivers may feel
that the lower limit is unfairly singling them out for special treatment,
the rule is quite logical. “I’m not allowed to drink at work
either,” says the RSA spokesman. “If you are behind the wheel,
then that’s your place of work and there are health and safety issues
that have to be taken into consideration. If somebody is getting behind
the wheel of a truck and they are over the limit, then they are a danger
to themselves and to other road users.”
The primary causes of collisions, death and injuries on Irish roads are:
inappropriate speed; impaired driving through alcohol, drugs or fatigue;
failure to use seatbelts or restraints; and unsafe behaviour. Alcohol
is a contributory factor to one in every three fatal collisions in the
State and drivers are at fault for over 80% of all accidents. Driver behaviour
is the primary cause of death and injury on our roads.
Since mandatory alcohol testing (MAT) was introduced in July 2006, people
continue to be caught at an alarming rate. For many, the message is not
getting home. A spike occurs in instances of drink driving between 00:00
and 03:00 at night, especially at weekends, and the majority of those
caught (or killed) are young men.
AS the RSA endeavours to save lives and prevent injuries by the reducing
the number and severity of collisions on our roads, they need public support.
In the five-year period 2001-2005, 61,579 arrests were made in Ireland
for drink-driving offences.
Recent research shows that in 24% of fatal crashes, the driver is OVER
the legal limit for driving. A sobering thought, surely.
The lesson? Don’t drink and drive. Even if you escape detection,
you will be killed eventually.
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