New drink-drive limits mean one glass is too much

A SINGLE alcoholic drink could push many motorists over the limit from Friday following the introduction of lower drink-driving thresholds.

Transport minister Leo Varadkar has confirmed the revised limits will come into effect on October 28 as part of a major road safety campaign for the upcoming bank holiday weekend.

The formal implementation of the Road Traffic Act 2010 will see the general drink-driving limit reduced from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg.

Learner, novice and professional drivers face even harsher restrictions: The limit for such categories will fall to 20mg.

It means that just one alcoholic drink — a pint of beer, a glass of wine or a single measure of spirits — could push many motorists over the legal limit.

Gardaí are set to carry out hundreds of checkpoints nationwide over the upcoming bank holiday weekend to enforce the new limits.

The new limits brings Ireland into line with the general levels in most other EU countries, with the exception of Britain and Malta.

A spokesperson for Mr Varadkar that said the changes represented “a considerable tightening of the drink-driving laws”.

However, the new limits, which were legislated for by the previous government, also recognised that there should be some graduation for motorists.

As a result, a driver who is found to be between 50mg and 80mg will be arrested and brought to a Garda station in the normal way, where an evidential breath test will be carried out.

If confirmed to be over the limit, the driver will be given a fixed charge notice of €200 and three penalty points.

Any driver who gives a blood-alcohol concentration reading of 80mg-100mg will be given a fixed charge notice of €400 and be disqualified from driving for six months.

Motorists who test above 100mg will face an automatic court appearance, where they will receive a minimum ban from driving of 12 months.

A driver may also only avail of the fixed charge option once in a three-year period. They will face a court appearance if caught drink driving a second time within that period.

Any motorist who cannot produce a licence within 10 days of their arrest will be treated as a specified driver to whom the 20mg limit applies.

According to the Department of Transport, a similar reduction in the blood-alcohol concentration limits resulted in an 18% reduction in fatal accidents when they were introduced in Queensland, Australia.