Meeting of the Parliament 18 November 2014
I commend Dave Thompson for his tenacity and the work that he has carried out over the years to bring this change to fruition. I thank him very much for that.
As I and others have mentioned, the majority of people in Scotland support a lower drink-driving limit, which was evidenced in the Scottish Government’s consultation. An independent analysis of respondents to the consultation found that 74 per cent believed that the drink-driving limit should be reduced and 87 per cent of those agreed that the blood alcohol limit should be reduced to 50mg per 100ml.
The British Medical Association and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents support the reduction of the drink-driving limit, and we have to ask why. As others have said, the reduction will save lives and, importantly, it will discourage drivers from drinking and driving—that is where the education aspect comes in.
Figures have been bandied about, and I would like to add a few of my own. An average of 20 lives are lost each year through drink driving. Last year, 90 people were seriously injured and 340 people were slightly injured as a result of drink driving. That is totally unacceptable. Drink driving affects all who are involved.
Paul Bassett, general manager of the Scottish Ambulance Service’s south-east division, said:
“All too often our ambulance crews have to deal with the tragic consequences of drink driving, which have a devastating impact on families and communities.”
Drink driving affects ambulance drivers and rescue workers as well. He also said:
“The message is clear and we hope this initiative will reduce the number of lives that are ruined as a result of drink driving.”
No one should drink and drive, and drivers should take responsibility for their actions.
Kathleen Braidwood, road safety officer for RoSPA, said:
“People need to realise that any amount of alcohol impairs a driver’s ability to judge speed and distance while behind the wheel. Alcohol also slows reaction times and can make drivers over-confident and more likely to take risks. Lowering the drink-drive limit will not only contribute to making our roads safer but also have a wider social impact.”
That is very important. As I said, drink driving affects all aspects of lives.
Graeme Pearson mentioned education and the media. The cabinet secretary has used most of the measures that we have talked about to make the general public aware of the changes, which have been very well outlined. TV, radio, electronic signs both in Scotland and on the border, petrol stations, pubs and retail organisations have been covered very carefully, and I doubt whether anyone would not be aware of the changes that are going to take place. It is incumbent on drivers and others to know what the law is.
I did not quite understand where Margaret Mitchell was coming from earlier—I think that a number of us did not—so perhaps when she sums up we could have more explanation from her.
When the Scottish Government asked the Westminster Government in 2012 for powers to reduce the drink-driving limit, it also asked for powers to make changes to penalties, but the Westminster Government did not give them. Like Richard Simpson, we all agree that we would welcome having those powers here in the Scottish Parliament, so that they could work in tandem with the other powers.
Drink-driving blights lives for everyone and we have to do our utmost to ensure that, as Graeme Pearson said, we do not criminalise people but educate them to the fact that drink driving is not acceptable in Scotland.
16:04