Lowering of Drink Drive Limit

[john_h]

seen on the news that they are planning the drink drive limit in NI...heres the story:

BBC News - Alex Attwood wants tougher drink-driving laws

they are basically looking to reduce the current 80mg/100ml to 50mg/100ml

then they are reducing it further for Young Drivers and people who earn a living driving to 20mg/100ml

also the ability to randomly stop drivers and test and the ablity to stop drivers playing the game and stop them opting for a urine and blood test.

now thats a start but i personally dont think its good enough. What i mean is yet again they are kinda blaming the young driver, yet again! why dont they reduce the drink drive limit to 0mg/100ml for all drivers? if caught it would be an instant fine, ban and car taken from you! harsh but it will stop accidents.

what i mean by blaming the young driver, i see more of the "experianced" driver causing more crashes as they think they know better. watching those police programs, those "experianced" are more seen to have no insurance, tax, licences! yeah young drivers do have a fair few issues but i personally see the more "experianced" causing the most as above.

its a step in the right direction, but they could do more....

[Malcolmd]

Totally agree with you John. The only way is zero tolerance, then there is no arguing, and no wondering is you are within the limit or not. You drink and you get caught, tough.

Malcolm.

[john_h]

thats it...no arguing if it across the board. just niggled me when they just say young drivers etc.

i beleive in poland they have a zero tolerance of no alcohol. dont quote me on that one, ive only walked 73 miles poland to germany so didnt drive

[jmkent]

If it was 0, there would be no questions..... can I have a drink, can I not type questions.....0 means 0!

Reducing more for young drivers is just straight discrimination, and I don't feel it justified...... I know for a fact with a lot of people I know, the young ones won't drink and drive (their car means too much for a start) as its the way we're brought up these days, whereas on the other hand, I know a few in their 40s and 50s who won't think twice about it!

[swad1000]

The problem with a zero limit on drink driving is, when do you know your alcohol level has returned to zero.

You could in theory go out for a drink on Saturday, and still be over the limit on Monday morning when you go to work.

Have a cough, take certain cough medicines, be over the drink drive limit, same with some mouthwashes etc etc.


As for the young driver thing, under 25s make up about 10% of road users, but have 25% of accidents, they are also the ones most likely to be caught drink driving.

Not that I think there should be different limits for different drivers, but there are reasons they look at young drivers in particular.

[jmkent]

Originally Posted by swad1000

The problem with a zero limit on drink driving is, when do you know your alcohol level has returned to zero.

You could in theory go out for a drink on Saturday, and still be over the limit on Monday morning when you go to work.

Have a cough, take certain cough medicines, be over the drink drive limit, same with some mouthwashes etc etc.


As for the young driver thing, under 25s make up about 10% of road users, but have 25% of accidents, they are also the ones most likely to be caught drink driving.

Not that I think there should be different limits for different drivers, but there are reasons they look at young drivers in particular.

I can see your point ref. knowing when back to 0.

As for under 25s being most likely to get caught, could this not turned on its head and be attributed to the fact the police seem to have a personal mission to target the young?? All these programmes you see on tv, they are always after the young ones. I was once pulled up for having fog lights on, as soon as the copper saw I wasn't a boy racer, he didn't care... even told me he was after them tonight.... he was back in his car and off looking for them before I was even back in mine.

Under 25s may be involved in a lot of accidents, but how many are actually drink related.... I bet more are attributed to bad driving and showing off.

[nige65]

Well well if people can afford to run a car these days and drink all i can say is they must have bloody good jobs and to risk that bloody good job be it on their heads .

i dont drink anyway and most places have good transport to the pubs these days as the only pubs open are in towns now the estate pubs are dying fast way i see it is not worth drink driving .

[john_h]

Originally Posted by swad1000

The problem with a zero limit on drink driving is, when do you know your alcohol level has returned to zero.

You could in theory go out for a drink on Saturday, and still be over the limit on Monday morning when you go to work.

how much drink have they had to be still over the limit on monday?!? and i think it will put more emphesis on being sensible with drink....

Originally Posted by swad1000

Have a cough, take certain cough medicines, be over the drink drive limit, same with some mouthwashes etc etc.

obviously with cases with medication such as cough medicine i would say have a doctors prescription and/or note. as with mouth wash, i paid a visit to a police and NHS ran safety show and they said mouthwash can set off the breathalizer, so you buy none alcoholic mouth wash...easy.

Originally Posted by swad1000

As for the young driver thing, under 25s make up about 10% of road users, but have 25% of accidents, they are also the ones most likely to be caught drink driving.

Not that I think there should be different limits for different drivers, but there are reasons they look at young drivers in particular.

they are most likely to be caught because, yeah you get the gimps, who flog their car around and im defending them one bit...its us "sensible" ones who dont do the above and still pay the penelty...i have to say though im 21 in a ford focus 1.8tdci and never been pulled once! only run in with the law is when i parked on a school zigzag no parking thingy for 2 mins to drop a TV off at a mates...and when i wrote my car off going for a pizza.

Originally Posted by jmkent

I can see your point ref. knowing when back to 0.

As for under 25s being most likely to get caught, could this not turned on its head and be attributed to the fact the police seem to have a personal mission to target the young?? All these programmes you see on tv, they are always after the young ones. I was once pulled up for having fog lights on, as soon as the copper saw I wasn't a boy racer, he didn't care... even told me he was after them tonight.... he was back in his car and off looking for them before I was even back in mine.

Under 25s may be involved in a lot of accidents, but how many are actually drink related.... I bet more are attributed to bad driving and showing off.

goes to show discrimination of Ageism is around, for me the menace is AUDI, Land Rover, Merc and Lexus drivers! which all seem to be middle aged folks.

Originally Posted by nige65

Well well if people can afford to run a car these days and drink all i can say is they must have bloody good jobs and to risk that bloody good job be it on their heads .

i dont drink anyway and most places have good transport to the pubs these days as the only pubs open are in towns now the estate pubs are dying fast way i see it is not worth drink driving .

fully agree here.

[bettyswollocks]

The 20 mark is effectively zero , half a pint will put you over 20 , its set there for those on medication that effects the reading ,
simples don`t drink and drive and don`t drink the night before and drive .

[Bailes]

Totally agree with the young people being targetted.
Got pulled last weekend for going around a car infront of me that was pulling into a junction. Apparently I was driving in a dangerous and eratic manor etc etc.
The cop had a stinking attitude, did nothing but shout and make snide comments at me and generally be totally rude. If I had spoken to him in the same manor I'd been arrested!

I'm 18 and been driving just over 18 months.

I'm not a fast driver, don't drive silly, generally keep to the limits in and around town etc etc.
I'm T-Total, infact I hate alcohol with a passion.

He asked me if I'd been drinking and I said "I don't drink, t-total". He stuck his nose up and went "Yeh ok, we'll see about that now wont we".

I've always stuck up for police but this guy was a total jobsworth. Deicded to give me a section 59, even though i actually haden't done anything wrong?
Refused to give me any acknowlegement of the fact he pulled me and my Section 59. In his words "You got the fucking straw now get out of my face".