Sedqa calls for lower alcohol limits for drivers
Agenzija Sedqa has called out on the authorities to lower the alcohol limit for drivers from the current 80mgs alcohol per decilitre of blood to 50mgs/dec instead.
"The current limit is one of the highest levels of blood alcohol content permissible in the EU member states, along with the UK and Ireland. The Irish will almost certainly be enacting legislation to lower the limit to 50mgs early in 2010. Out of the 27 EU member states, 16 have a limit of 50mgs/dec, while eight have a level ranging from 0mgs/dec to 20mgs/dec," Sedqa said.
"The lower the limit, the lower the number of fatal traffic accidents."
The agency also called for a revision of current regulations which do not allow the Police to administer breathalyzer tests at their discretion.
"Statistics show that arraignments in Court for drink-driving average about 10 a month - surely not a representation of the real situation especially when it is common knowledge that unfortunately many people drink and drive," the agency said.
The appeal made made at the launch of a drink-drive campaign which Sedqa is conducting over the festive period with Rotaract La Vallette Malta. Billboards have already been put up in prime locations in Marsa and St. Julian's urging people not to drink and drive.
Sina Bugeja, CEO of the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, said that alcohol abuse and drinking and driving was one of the areas that Agenzija Sedqa never stopped working on, primarily through prevention and educational programmes supported by publicity campaigns.
21 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Brian Fenech
Dec 17th 2009, 00:41
Can someone give us any indication of how many drinks does it take to go over the legal limit?? does it take 1 drink? 2 drinks? 5 drinks??
Without any indication it's like being asked to drive at a certain speed limit... without a speedometer!!
I bet not even sedqa are able to answer this...!
alfred curmi
Dec 16th 2009, 19:48
I agree completely with Mr. Debono. It is useless introducing lower alcohol limits when we all know that enforcement is NIL. Allied to much stricter enforcement there must also be much heftier punishments, both financial and suspension of licence. Otherwise our roads will continue to be killing fields.
George Debono
Dec 16th 2009, 19:03
I fully agree that the level should come down. But it's no use of not enforced.
When I lived in Denmark it was quite common to see one person in a group only drinking Coca-cola - the driver. The enforcement wes fierce and licenses were lost (for 1-2 years) by the dozen around Christmas.
The only enforcement on our roads is the sort that make loads-a-money: IE from parking fines and cunningly placed speed cameras. Apart from this it is mayham and free-for all on our roads. Has anybody heard of a driver being fined for being over the limit, speeding or driving carelssly (unless he has killed somebody, of course) in the last 20 years?
Now, if the permissable alcohol blood level was decreased to, say 40 or 60 and a 1,000 Euro fine (+/- loss of license for 1 year) imposed on people over the limit, this would be more lucrative for our money-minded wardens/police than parking fines?... how about that - eh?
G
Mick Scott
Dec 16th 2009, 18:18
Some very good points here,i would love the government to say ask the English for a loan of 4 or 5 police patrol cars and officers to show a presence on the roads .This would result in spot checks for various reasons including drink driving ,coupled with harsh penalties ie prison surely this would send a warning.Then again do you have enough space in your prisons,something drastic has to be implimented quick as regular deaths are becoming more frequent..I visit the island every year ,i love driving about but lately i have cut that down ,and NEVER on an evening it is that bad and the sooner Malta wakes up to the fact the better for all .
Massimo Costa
Dec 16th 2009, 17:59
As has already been commented here, it is not the alcohol limit which is too high, it is the level of enforcement which is too low. If drivers respected the existing limit they would be fit enough to drive well. Maltese police need to be allowed to use a breathalyzer in a greater number of cases.
Nigel Lawrence
Dec 16th 2009, 17:53
Lowering the alcohol limits for drivers is a complete joke, when drunken drivers can be so with complete impunity knowing full well that they will NEVER be breath tested.
Andrew Gatt
Dec 16th 2009, 17:42
Save your time and energy Sedqa! Alcohol limits (existing, proposed, amended etc.) are a pointless waste of time in Malta because they are simply NOT ENFORCED.
Just like a lot of other things. Speed limits. Dangerous driving. Non-roadworthy vehicles. And so on. The laws are there all right, the enforcement is not! Naturally, the book is thrown at you AFTER you screw up! Pity it's too late for those killed or maimed for life.
adrian aquilina
Dec 16th 2009, 17:39
what is the point when noone is breathelysed,people can be seen drunk getting in their cars and all the "accidents" late at night are due to this.has nothing to do with age as older people here drink and drive.just does not happen in places like u.k. as socially it is not accepted.
education.this is down to the government as in u.k. there are information ads all the time on drink driving,driving in general,safe sex etc..points system and licences taken away quicker is the first step.speed and you get pionts etc...
c. hansel
Dec 16th 2009, 17:29
Get a proper public transport system so ppl dont have to drive with their cars and you wont have any drink driving issues any more. Otherwise its all for nothing.... Have a look at Germany (Berlin) or Australia (Sydney) works perfect over there... now go and figure its really hard:)
Henry J Bonett
Dec 16th 2009, 17:04
Sedqa is doing stering work; it deserves our support. As a society we have to insist persistantly on (a) Effective legislation, (b) the creation of adequate enforcement, and (c) reasonable deterring penalties. Unfortunately, all three are presently in a risible state. It is also about time to introduce Community work. It is we the citizens who have to insist unceasingly on the Administration to wake up to these facts act on them immediately, even at the expense of laying aside for the moment such useless carnivals on a few square metres of paving that have been refurbished.
Anthony Girard
Dec 16th 2009, 17:03
"Statistics show that arraignments in Court for drink-driving average about 10 a month - surely not a representation of the real situation especially when it is common knowledge that unfortunately many people drink and drive," the agency said.
Absolutely !
The solution is simple:
ZERO tolerance - If you drink - don't drive.
Michael Scicluna
Dec 16th 2009, 16:52
The message is ' Food and wine in moderation, keeps the devil from temtation'. The action should be enforcement at source in high ative places before anybody is on the open road. Breathilizer should be at any time any place not just upon suspicion. Offenders should not be allowed to drive any vehicle for at least 12 months if nessacary even more. See Drink Driving Laws in UK nothing wrong to copy something which is effective. Have a nice Christmas.
Brian Maloret
Dec 16th 2009, 16:42
G. Fenech
Exactly, since living here in Malta I have seen people leaving bars after spending an evening drinking large quantities of alcohol only to go around the corner and get into their cars and drive off without any fear of being apprehended. Their just isn't any deterent with the limit as it is without introducing a lower limit. The British traffic police would have a "field day" if they operated in Malta not only with drunk driving but with the general poor quality of driving. I have lost touch with the number of times I have seen cars going the wrong way around a roundabout or going the wrong way up a one way street.
L. Cutajar
Dec 16th 2009, 16:42
Instead of reducing the limit of alcohol, driving licenses should be given to persons over the age of 21 years and not 18 as it is currently.
G.Tabone
Dec 16th 2009, 16:39
@Ganni Xuereb
that depends on the person's metabolism and how the liver breaks down alcohol. However 80mgs/dec of alcohol is approximately equivalent to 4 units of alcohol for men and 3 units of alcohol for women
Christopher Micallef
Dec 16th 2009, 16:38
I agree with G. Fenech. The problem here is not the alcohol limit (3 units is quite a small amount especially for drinkers), but the lack of enforcement! Really, the country is an example of a lack of enforcement, with drink driving being just one of them. Other notable ones include the likes of; ensuring free market competition by limiting price abuse, tax evasion, and monitoring of the use of welfare state services, in a huge list including many others!
Gianni Xuereb
Dec 16th 2009, 16:27
I agree on lower alcohol limits. I'm sorry but if you want to drink get someone to drive you home.
How much is 50mgs/dec equivalent in units of alcohol ?
B Galea
Dec 16th 2009, 16:22
In theory, I agree. But Sedqa would serve society better by campaigning for getting the current limit properly enforced. Token changes to legislation will make not one iota of difference - what difference would changing the limit to 50mg make, if people regularly down a bottle of vodka and then drive home on a Saturday night?
Ramon Casha
Dec 16th 2009, 16:21
How often are any spot tests actually carried out? To my knowledge such tests are rarely carried out, unless after an accident. Maybe if spot checks started being carried out frequently, and if these are backed by strong penalties, the incidence of drunk driving will drop. Decreasing the alcohol limits without having such tests is fairly useless however.
Frans H Said
Dec 16th 2009, 16:21
The first essential action is mobile patrols. These must be constant and in certain numbers. Dubious parking fines (so long as these do not impede certain shops) and stupid speed limits, are just money earners. Traffic control and discipline should not be a means to earn money for a company or a Local Council. Road markings, etc, are based of the British system but the driving is based on Africa of a century ago.
The drinking problem is, supposedly, tied to tourism, so that tourists can drink as much as they want. But the crux is that tourists, albeit frustrating on the road, hardly ever cause accidents.
ADT needs a strong person to revamp the driving laws of Malta. There should also be a better cordination with the courts. Ten or twenty bad drivers in prison will scare the other bullies.
The worse are the victims, maimed for life, or the relatives of dead persons.
But who cares.
G. Fenech
Dec 16th 2009, 16:16
Its not that the alcohol limit is too high, ITS THAT ITS NEVER ENFORCED!!!
Where are the breathalyser tests? Where are the road blocks that check for alcohol limits?
Why is the breathalyser only used AFTER the accident happens? What use is that?
The problem is that there is nothing to stop people from drinking and driving.
Nothing except a wall or roundabout they might drive into - but it doesnt happen to everyone, so not everyone learns.
Seriously, i've NEVER seen a breathalyser test, has anyone?