Motorists reminded to heed new drink driving limit
“MY ADVICE is that if you’re going out for the evening and you are taking the car, don’t have anything to drink – it’s the one sure way you can avoid being convicted of drinking and driving”.
That is the simple message from Shetland’s chief police inspector Eddie Graham after the new lower limit for drink driving came into force last week.
Anyone found to have 22mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath now faces a drink driving conviction – down from the previous limit of 35mcg – following the introduction of fresh legislation by the Scottish Government.
Graham said Shetland police were increasing the number of patrols to coincide with a festive drink driving campaign running until 2 January and “targeting individuals we have intelligence about and using information provided by the public to look at those individuals”.
Under the previous limit it was possible to drive legally after drinking a pint of beer or a small glass of wine, but that is no longer the case.
Graham said an individual’s ability to get rid of alcohol from their system varied depending on factors including body mass and age.
The change also increases the chance of still being over the limit the morning after a night out drinking.
Graham said: “If you’re drinking alcohol and working the next morning, with the lowering of the limit there’s a significant chance if you’ve had a substantial amount of drink you could be over the limit the following morning.
“It’s a warning, an awareness-raising, and ultimately if people are drinking less, that’s surely far safer from our perspective.
“In essence we’re looking at making the roads as safe as possible – there’s a government target of reducing road casualties by 2020; we’re working to prevent as many serious and fatal road accidents as possible.”
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While the sole drink driver caught at the weekend was “significantly over the limits, old and new”, Graham said he looked back through Shetland police statistics for October and November and found two people who gave breath tests and would have been reported under the new limit.
He added that police would be increasing their visibility in local pubs and working with drugs dogs in the next three weeks as part of ‘Operation Respect’ to “make sure the licensed premises are as safe as possible for people to enjoy themselves over the festive period”.
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