No more excuses: drink driving laws about saving lives
When are we all going to learn? And when are we going to see some personal responsibility? Drinking, drug taking and driving can kill. You can kill yourself and also unfairly other innocent people who are going about their everyday lives, writes Andrew Constance.
When are we all going to learn? And when are we going to see some personal responsibility?
Drinking, drug taking and driving can kill. You can kill yourself and also unfairly other innocent people who are going about their everyday lives.
Since the commencement of Road Safety Week just two days ago the road toll has gone up even further. These aren’t statistics, these are real people whose journey in life is over and all too often loved ones are left behind having to deal with unimaginable grief.
The NSW Government has introduced tougher drink driving reforms in light of 139 people who have been killed on our roads so far this year.
Devastatingly, in just the past 24 hours since I announced these reforms, we’ve seen another two lives lost. That’s another two grieving families as a result of fatal road crashes. We need to act now and we must all recognise the dangers and unfortunate loss of life.
We want people to be able to get from Point A to Point B without losing their life and these reforms to drink and drug driving laws are part of our plan to improve the safety of everyone on our roads.
As of May 20 NSW Police will be able to issue an immediate suspension of a driver’s licence if they are caught low range drink driving, as well as an on the spot fine of $561.
Unfortunately, last year 68 people lost their lives due to drink driving, 55 of them were on country roads.
What is also concerning and not widely known, is that 56 per cent of low range offenders, who appear before court, have recorded no conviction. That means no loss of licence, no fine, no punishment for the endangerment of life.
These reforms change that. They send the very clear message we have a zero tolerance approach.
Anyone caught drink driving will be taken off our roads, immediately.
The punishments will be the same for those caught driving with drugs in their system.
Ultimately we want to do everything we can to lower the road toll. With one in five drivers killed with alcohol in their system we are taking a zero tolerance approach in relation to this.
The message is clear and simple. As of May 20 if you are breathalysed and record a low range offence you will receive immediate punishment. This is about saving lives. There are no more excuses.
Andrew Constance is the NSW Minister for Transport and Roads
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