Drink-driving alcohol limits are set to become tighter once a proposal to slash the maximum by almost half comes into force, the Times of Malta has learnt.
Transport Minister Ian Borg is set to forge ahead with the plan to lower the alcohol limit to that of many other European countries.
The current limit of 0.8g of alcohol per litre of blood – the highest in the EU – will be reduced to 0.5g, the EU average.
Under this limit, the average man will be limited to just under a pint of beer or a large glass of wine, while women will be limited to half a pint of beer or a small glass of wine.
Sources said the government had tasked its consultative committee on transport to draft recommendations for a reform in the penalties for driving offences.
Under the proposals, first-time offenders found driving over the limit could face a €1,200 fine or even a licence suspension of up to three years.
“We will definitely push forward to lower the legal limit from 0.8mg to 0.5mg,” a spokeswoman for the Transport Ministry told the Times of Malta.
“This is one of the measures to curb road fatalities and injuries.
“Getting behind the wheel is a responsibility that everyone has to accept. Our aim is to reduce accidents on our roads, so lowering the legal limit is a priority that we as a ministry and the government will implement,” the spokeswoman said.
As with many things in Malta, the problem is enforcement, be-cause self-regulation does not come naturally to many Maltese, she added.
The authorities do not plan to change the present laws, which only give police officers the right to do a spot-check breathalyser test if they have a ‘reasonable suspicion’ the driver is drunk.
“Decision makers must ensure that the laws are there to be respected, and if not, enforcement must be stepped up.
“We are confident of achieving this, together with the respective ministries and entities in the near future,” the spokeswoman said when asked whether enforcement would increase.
A 2010 Eurobarometer study found that 99 per cent of Maltese drivers had no idea what the drink-driving limit was. The study also found that 17 per cent of local motorists drank every day.