‘Alcolocks’ to curb rise in drink-drive crashes
MOTORISTS with a drink-driving conviction could be required to have an “alcolock” installed in their car under government plans to stem an increase in alcohol-related crashes.
There has been a three per cent annual rise in the number of drink-drive crashes on Britain’s roads, figures show.
An estimated 5,890 accidents involved at least one driver who was over the alcohol limit in 2018, the Department for Transport said.
This is up from 5,700 during the previous 12 months and means about one in 20 of all reported crashes in 2018 involved a drunk driver.
Alcolocks measure the alcohol in a driver’s breath and prevent the car from starting if they are over the limit. The devices were designed for law enforcement in 1976 and are used worldwide as well as in the industrial, public and personal safety markets.
A Government source told The Times that it was committed to rolling them out for those who had been convicted of drink-driving.
The estimated number of people killed in drink-drive crashes fell from 250 in 2017 to 240 in 2018 and is similar to levels seen since 2010.
Some 80 per cent of drink-drive accidents in 2018 involved male drivers or riders over the legal limit.
The Government also hopes new breathalysers capable of officially recording illegally high levels will be ready by 2021. The current breathalyser is used to screen drivers, who often have to be taken to a police station for a blood or urine test, and is insufficient for prosecution.
The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety is running a government-funded competition to develop the breathalysers and hopes that it will “result in one or more typeapproved instruments, which can be operated by police forces throughout the UK by October 2021”. A Department
for Transport spokeswoman said: “Drink-driving is truly unacceptable. It’s a senseless act that puts everyone at risk.
“These new statistics show that four in five drink-drivers who caused accidents were male. That’s why we’re focusing our work on young male drivers, with our award-winning Think! campaign highlighting that mates don’t let mates drink-drive.”
Neil Greig, director of policy and research at IAM Roadsmart, a road safety charity, said: “Once again progress on reducing the toll of death and injuries from drink-driving has stalled.
“There is no one simple answer to reducing these figures, but we believe a much smarter package of measures is needed from the Government including a lower drink-drive limit to reinforce good behaviour, fast-track of evidential roadside testing machines to release police resources and tailored approaches to help drivers with alcohol problems.
“Rehabilitation courses work and we believe all those convicted of drinkdriving should be sent on one automatically rather than having to opt in.”
Nicholas Lyes, the RAC’S head of policy, said: “These are disappointing figures, which illustrate the need for much more to be done to curb the plague of drink-driving.”
He said that alcolocks, together with “more police on our roads”, could go a long way to cutting drink-drive deaths.
The Scottish Government reduced the alcohol limit for drivers from 80 milligrammes (mg) per 100 millilitres of blood to 50mg in December 2014, but the legal level in the rest of the UK remains 80mg.