Meeting of the Parliament 18 November 2014
I welcome the work that Dave Thompson has done on drink driving. As Dr Richard Simpson mentioned, there are strong arguments for devolving day-to-day administration of the matter, so I support the thrust of Dave Thompson’s comments.
It is important to view drink driving in the broader context of the public health implications of alcohol abuse, so the solutions must take into account drinking patterns and those groups that are particularly at risk.
As a Highlands and Islands road safety campaigner, I welcome any measures that will improve road safety and reduce fatalities and serious injuries as a result. It is a tragedy that, every year, one death in 10 on Scottish roads involves a driver who is over the drink-driving limit. Every year, an average of 30 deaths on Scottish roads are caused by drivers who are over the legal limit. In 2010, there were 750 casualties and 20 deaths as a direct result of drink driving. In 2011, there were 680 casualties and 20 deaths as a direct result of alcohol.
Of course, I heartily welcome the proposal to lower the permitted blood alcohol level in Scotland—a power conferred by the Scotland Act 2012—and look forward to the UK Government following our lead for the rest of the UK as soon as possible. I would welcome the speedy introduction of such legislation.
We need a clear and unambiguous message. If someone is driving, they should not drink. They should not do the lottery with their career or force other road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, to do the same. If they do, they will face the consequences.
International best practice suggests that the countries that have the lowest drink-driving figures have three things in common: a long track record of drink-driving enforcement; a high level of detection; and mass media support for enforcement.
For young drivers in particular, graduated licence schemes with restrictions on passengers, night driving and zero tolerance of alcohol will, along with increased education, reduce the carnage on our roads and reduce deaths and injuries throughout Scotland.
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