People had to start adopting a zero tolerance approach toward drink driving, Health Minister Joe Cassar said this afternoon.
"It's useless trying to calculate whether you're under the limit after one drink or two, because the rate at which your body metabolises alcohol can vary from one day to the next," the minister warned.
Taking medication, eating food or even drinking grapefruit juice could have an effect on a person's metabolism, Dr Cassar said. It was therefore pointless trying to work out how many drinks one could have before reaching the 0.08 grams per decilitre limit allowed by Maltese law.
Dr Cassar, who is a medical doctor by profession, was launching the government's annual drink awareness campaign in the run-up to the Christmas season.
As well as TV, radio and print advertisements, the police force will be deployed over the festive season and tasked with stopping cars driving precariously and subjecting drivers to breathalyser tests.
The minister congratulated the media and police force for their growing focus on drink driving, which had ensured that over the past few years there were no deaths during the festive season caused by drink driving.
He however cautioned that road accident deaths were going up, said that alcohol abuse was also on the rise and appealed to the media to broaden their focus on the issue.
"We need to raise awareness one further notch and move this campaign from being one linked to the Christmas period to a more year-round one," he said.
ARRIVA LAUNCHES ITS OWN SAFETY CAMPAIGN
Arriva has teamed up with the police force to launch a safety campaign through adverts on its buses urging people to drive slowly, wear their seatbelts and refrain from using their mobile while driving.
Launching the campaign with the adverts on 75 of its buses, Arriva Malta managing director Keith Bastow said the campaign follows an internal one the company organised for its drivers in November. The campaign also coincides with the festive season.
“Safety is always high on Arriva’s agenda. Our buses are only a few of the vehicles on Malta’s roads and we must all be aware of the responsibilities we have when we get behind the wheel,” he said.
Police superintendent Martin Bayliss said speed, the lack of use of safety belts and mobile phones are three major causes of traffic accidents in Malta. The police is also worried about the use of mobile phones to send text messages while driving.
50,000 people die across Europe for not wearing their safety belts, he said, adding that the law also covered passengers sitting at the rear of a car.
Mr Bastow said the company plans to extend the campaign on other issues, including the use (and misuse) of the 112 emergency number.
Asked about accidents involving Arriva buses, Mr Bastow said these were “within the parameters expected”, adding that people should not forget that three-quarters of its drivers were new. He highlighted the obstacles Arriva buses encounter on a daily basis, including “indiscriminate parking” and double parking, making it even more difficult for buses to manoeuvre.