Cullen in favour of zero alcohol limit

Vegeta

Ok Cullen is thinking of introducing a ban on any alcahol for provisional drivers. I see a ban on any alcahol for all drivers as a good thing but just provisional drivers doesn't make sense.

Isn't he also trying get the waiting list for the test down to 6 weeks. So once you past your test you can not only drive on your own but have a pint too. Nice to see where the taxes are going anyway :rolleyes:

smash

Vegeta wrote:

Ok Cullen is thinking of introducing a ban on any alcahol for provisional drivers. I see a ban on any alcahol for all drivers as a good thing but just provisional drivers doesn't make sense.

Isn't he also trying get the waiting list for the test down to 6 weeks. So once you past your test you can not only drive on your own but have a pint too. Nice to see where the taxes are going anyway :rolleyes:

Must tell my wife if she wants to get p1ssed, she'll have to do her test so she can take her own car and drive home - I'm fed up collecting her from the pub.

Litcagral

Vegeta wrote:

Ok Cullen is thinking of introducing a ban on any alcahol for provisional drivers. I see a ban on any alcahol for all drivers as a good thing but just provisional drivers doesn't make sense.

Isn't he also trying get the waiting list for the test down to 6 weeks. So once you past your test you can not only drive on your own but have a pint too. Nice to see where the taxes are going anyway :rolleyes:

It's nice to know that maybe I can have the sherry trifle and a spoon of Benylin but the provisionals can't.

blastman

There isn't an election coming up soon, is there? There is?? That's a surprise, eh?

phoenix_nights

Vegeta wrote:

Ok Cullen is thinking of introducing a ban on any alcahol for provisional drivers. I see a ban on any alcahol for all drivers as a good thing but just provisional drivers doesn't make sense.

But its very common in other parts of the world. Figure he is following the Australian example as that is where all the new rules (watch out for double penalty points on bank holiday weekends) are originating from.

Great Idea. not.


The issue is lack of enforcement not too high a limit.

alias no.9

Having a zero blood alcohol limit is no different to having a 500mg blood alcohol limit if you're not testing people to detect their blood alcohol levels. I'd wager that heavy handed enforcement of our current limit would do a lot more to save lives than a zero limit with current enforcement levels.

Pataman

Zero checking and zero prosecuting. Improve on those first.

Alun

I thought that, technically, enforcing an abolute zero alcohol percentage was impossible. Some people have very small naturally occurring amounts of alcohol in their bloodstream, or something. Anyway, how are you going to know if you've zero alcohol in your blood anyway? I mean, you have a drink or two, then how long do you legally have to wait before you can drive ... 12 hrs? 24 hrs ... 4 days? It'd seem simpler to just have a very low percentage (much lower than the current limit) that would allow for such cases.

Litcagral

Alun wrote:

I thought that, technically, enforcing an abolute zero alcohol percentage was impossible. Some people have very small naturally occurring amounts of alcohol in their bloodstream, or something. Anyway, how are you going to know if you've zero alcohol in your blood anyway? I mean, you have a drink or two, then how long do you legally have to wait before you can drive ... 12 hrs? 24 hrs ... 4 days? It'd seem simpler to just have a very low percentage (much lower than the current limit) that would allow for such cases.

I thought that also and I think it is why some countries have a 20mg/ml limit.

jhegarty

Vegeta wrote:

Ok Cullen is thinking of introducing a ban on any alcahol for provisional drivers. I see a ban on any alcahol for all drivers as a good thing but just provisional drivers doesn't make sense.

Isn't he also trying get the waiting list for the test down to 6 weeks. So once you past your test you can not only drive on your own but have a pint too. Nice to see where the taxes are going anyway :rolleyes:

good idea , but should be enforced on all drivers....

ninty9er

As a fully signed up member of Ógra Fianna Fáil I have contacted my Ardchomhairle rep to get her to lambaste the minister present at the next meeting over this.

It is not the idea I agree with it's the fact that it will apply only to people on this new ridiculous idea of a "sub-full-licence" or whatever you want to call it.

It might work in Australia to have a sub licence but this is Ireland. We are supposed to have our own policies or have Europe taken that too

impr0v

Cullen in shock proposal for chemical testosterone regulation by mandatory implantation for provisional drivers - wispy tash sightings in bestriped corsas down by one third.

PR consultants association suggest extension of scheme to Government ministers.

Hotblack Desiato

Another ill-thought-out headline-grabbing PR stunt tbh.

When they won't enforce the existing alcohol limit, and won't enforce the existing provisional licence rules, how on earth are MORE laws supposed to be the answer?

We don't need any more road traffic legislation (except regulation of instructors!) BUT we do need enforcement of what we already have.

Boggle

Is there any benefit from a 0 alco level? Is there any statistic showing that people are involved in a significant number of accidents while below current levels and above 0??

Just seems like regulations for the sake of regulations to me...
(Make peoples life that little bit harder with no effect)

layke

Personally I welcome it, but for ALL drivers.

Either drink and don't drive or don't drink and drive. It makes it very very simple.

I think it's because all the aul' fogies in the Dial want to drink a little and drive. I don't see how a 40 year old man having a pint over an 18 year old will make much of a difference. Scientifically the 40 year old should have a poorer response time under the influence.

All or none, no teasing.

Vegeta

Everyone here can at least see the real problems with Irish roads and that's enforcement.

The reason this 0 alcahol thing works in Austrailia is because there are cops everywhere on the roads (in towns obviously not the outback/bush) and they will check every single car that passes for alcahol levels.

Its more rules that don't actually make the roads safer, to change Irish peoples approach to driving we need more cops on the road, every time a person speeds orbreaks a rule of the road they should fear being caught and punished.

In the last 3-4 months I have seen 1 garda checking for speed, I live in Limerick/Clare but I drive on the N20 everyday for 25 miles at the peak times people would speed i.e. going and coming from work but there is just no presence of gardai.

Also bringing in a law that will only apply to people who should only be driving for 6 weeks (a long way off yet) before there full licence test is stupid. If anything it should be a ban on all alcahol while driving for all drivers

Alun

layke wrote:

Either drink and don't drive or don't drink and drive. It makes it very very simple.

Actually it makes it a whole lot more complicated You go out one night and have, say, two pints. The next day you're driving to work ... are you over the "zero" limit, or not? So, unless you never drink at all, there's no real way of knowing 100% if you're over the limit at all.

Plus, an actual zero limit is technically impossible to realise. There are people who have very low naturally occurring levels of alcohol in their bloodstream, apparently. The only thing you can realistically do is to make the limit very low, but not zero.

ninty9er

Boggle wrote:

Is there any benefit from a 0 alco level? Is there any statistic showing that people are involved in a significant number of accidents while below current levels and above 0??

Just seems like regulations for the sake of regulations to me...
(Make peoples life that little bit harder with no effect)

Even at half (40mg/100ml) the legal limit drivers have 2 times the probability of being in a collision compared with someone who has not consumed any alcohol

phoenix_nights

i think its a great idea which will work given the experience in other countries. its a step in the right direction which should be welcomed by any concerned citizen.

blastman

phoenix_nights wrote:

i think its a great idea which will work given the experience in other countries. its a step in the right direction which should be welcomed by any concerned citizen.

Ah yes, it worked in other countries so it's bound to work here....

Our man in Havana

blastman wrote:

Ah yes, it worked in other countries so it's bound to work here....

Sarcasm detector overload!

maidhc

ninty9er wrote:

Even at half (40mg/100ml) the legal limit drivers have 2 times the probability of being in a collision compared with someone who has not consumed any alcohol

I suggest we ban bad drivers, they are 1000 times more likely to be involved in an accident.

So far Cullen has:
Suggested banning tints and after maket exhausts,
Introduced penalty point offences bordering on the absurd,
Put a TV show host in charge of road safety,
Suggested a pointless measure in relation to drink driving.
Failed to do anything intelligent in his political career so far.

Ay Cee

(watch out for double penalty points on bank holiday weekends)

Do they do a roll over like the lotto?

Failed to do anything intelligent in his political career so far.

In fairness, it's not his fault - he's a politician!

Debbio69

it should be a total ban on all drivers.
And if your stopped your licence is taken off you and you have to re-take your test to prove you can drive safely.

I think the gardai should hae check points outside pubs/clubs.
When was the last time you have seen a checkpoint near a pub?

I have never seen one.

( sorry, little rant there)

Hotblack Desiato

Debbio69 wrote:

it should be a total ban on all drivers.

Well that's one way of eliminating congestion

I think the gardai should hae check points outside pubs/clubs.
When was the last time you have seen a checkpoint near a pub? I have never seen one.

Right, so the reason they need to bring in a new law is because they don't enforce the existing one? How does that make any sense?

If we got everyone to obey the 80mg limit we'd see a large reduction in accidents. Once you get below that level of alcohol, the effects aren't really any more significant than many other things, such as tiredness, talking on the phone or even smoking. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2090-2180017,00.html

Vegeta

phoenix_nights wrote:

i think its a great idea which will work given the experience in other countries. its a step in the right direction which should be welcomed by any concerned citizen.

you're right it is a good idea..........in other countries where the police actually police the roads.

MrPudding

Boggle wrote:

Is there any benefit from a 0 alco level? Is there any statistic showing that people are involved in a significant number of accidents while below current levels and above 0??

Apparently the number is tiny.

MrP