New drink/driving legislation

boardsuser1

So, Shane Ross believes that despite opposition, the new legislation will pass eventually.

Do you think that an automatic disqualification is correct if someone is caught over the limit or should the current fine/points penalty for minor infringements remain?

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2017/1115/920178-drink-driving/

biko

Poll added for benefit of Irish peoples

boardsuser1

biko wrote: »

Poll added for benefit of Irish peoples

Thank you Sir

The limit should be returned to 80mg which was a fair limit.

boardsuser1

Elyse Quaint Clerk wrote: »

The limit should be returned to 80mg which was a fair limit.

Lucky you don't drive professionally or it'd only be 20mg

The legal limits for fully licenced drivers in Category B are:

50 milligrammes (mg) of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood (0.05)
67 milligrammes (mg) of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine or
22 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath
The legal limits for professional, learner and novice drivers are:

20 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood (0.02)
27 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine or
9 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath

FishOnABike

I think treating someone with a reading of 21 or 51 the same as someone with a reading of 200 is the type of disproportionate nonsense that brings the law into disrepute.

I think more would be done for road safety if our current legislation was resourced to be properly enforced.

But something must be done and this is something so it must be done. It's cheap and gives some politician five minutes of fame in some news release soundbite. Nothing more important than keeping in the public eye.

CiniO

I'm of the opinion that current legislation is fine.
50mg limit is good, as it allows most people to have one drink and drive. Similar limit apply in many places in Europe.

And in case someone accidentally exceeds it by a slight bit (80mg) it's a fine and points so ball good here as well.

I do consider though that anyone above 80mg should end up in court and large fine and long driving ban, so probably current automatic ban and small fine for range between 80mg and 100mg should be scrapped.

20mg limit for professional and inexperienced drivers is good.

CiniO

In short the problem with drink driving in Ireland is not due to legislation (which is good) but due to complete lack of enforcement.
In region where I live everyone drives completely wasted and nothing is being done about it.

rustynutz

Current drink drive limits and punishments are fine, it just needs more enforcement. I drive a lot of miles every year all over the country and in over twenty years on the road I've been breathalyzed once.

boardsuser1

In the last few weeks i've been to both Dublin and Galway on a 5 day week up and back, only on one occasion did i see a GoSafe van on the ramp at junction 11, this aside there was nothing else and no checkpoints.

I don't blame the Gardai though, their hands are heavily tied.

drunkmonkey

Where’s the i’m with Healy-Rae option in the poll?

boardsuser1

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Where’s the i’m with Healy-Rae option in the poll?

With a username like that and your suggestion..................


Is that you Michael?

drunkmonkey

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

With a username like that and your suggestion..................


Is that you Michael?

No but I do get his points, Ross needs to sort out transport, all fine and dandy him fluting around on his high horse with a Luas on his door step, we’ve no way home from the pub most nights no taxi or bus services.
There needs to be a rural bus service, then he can look at more changes to the law but sort out the underlying problem for everyone outside Dublin first, they’ve no way home.
What does he expect everyone to walk home on unlight roads in an Irish winter. Roads aren’t policed anyway so the system kinda works in a typical Irish way.

Ubbquittious

drunkmonkey wrote: »

No but I do get his points, Ross needs to sort out transport, all fine and dandy him fluting around on his high horse with a Luas on his door step, we’ve no way home from the pub most nights no taxi or bus services.
There needs to be a rural bus service, then he can look at more changes to the law but sort out the underlying problem for everyone outside Dublin first, they’ve no way home.
What does he expect everyone to walk home on unlight roads in an Irish winter. Roads aren’t policed anyway so the system kinda works in a typical Irish way.

There's so much that shagger needs to sort out before he can go back to senselessly bating the people who voted him in with a wooden stick

ELM327

No enforcement anyway.
The attitude in my area, even amongst 30 and below, is that sure everyone does it. Lowering the limit by a few micrograms means nothing, as if they came out and checked people in rural ireland we'd all be fecked.

People drive home from the pub. It's a done thing in the country. And no amount of do gooder judges or lowering of limits is going to change that. I find it's safer after 11pm driving the roads of cavan and monaghan when drunk, at least that way you share the same mindset as the locals

boardsuser1

ELM327 wrote: »

No enforcement anyway.
The attitude in my area, even amongst 30 and below, is that sure everyone does it. Lowering the limit by a few micrograms means nothing, as if they came out and checked people in rural ireland we'd all be fecked.

People drive home from the pub. It's a done thing in the country. And no amount of do gooder judges or lowering of limits is going to change that. I find it's safer after 11pm driving the roads of cavan and monaghan when drunk, at least that way you share the same mindset as the locals

As you are in the border counties, is there much cross border drink driving going on?

Small bit of a difference in the limits.
35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.
80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.
107 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine.

Del2005

drunkmonkey wrote: »

No but I do get his points, Ross needs to sort out transport, all fine and dandy him fluting around on his high horse with a Luas on his door step, we’ve no way home from the pub most nights no taxi or bus services.
There needs to be a rural bus service, then he can look at more changes to the law but sort out the underlying problem for everyone outside Dublin first, they’ve no way home.
What does he expect everyone to walk home on unlight roads in an Irish winter. Roads aren’t policed anyway so the system kinda works in a typical Irish way.

Car pool like most normal people do. Also his reasoning was that they are only going for 1 or 2 drinks for the company, why do they need alcohol if they are only going out for the company?

Arbitrary

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

I don't blame the Gardai though, their hands are heavily tied.

Busy back at the station supping pints and blowing in to test machines. I do lay a proportionate amount of blame on them. As an example, how often do you see checkpoints when it's raining?

Fair weather traffic enforcement. I don't blame individual Garda but management are not beyond criticism.

boardsuser1

Arbitrary wrote: »

Busy back at the station supping pints and blowing in to test machines. I do lay a proportionate amount of blame on them. As an example, how often do you see checkpoints when it's raining?

Fair weather traffic enforcement. I don't blame individual Garda but management are not beyond criticism.

Only once in my lifetime, and i'm not a young fella, have i seen a checkpoint in the rain, on a bank holiday weekend in 1999.

The management are the crux of the problem,the lower down the chain you go the less blame can be apportioned.

The breath testing scandal was very bad PR to be fair.

ELM327

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

As you are in the border counties, is there much cross border drink driving going on?

Small bit of a difference in the limits.
35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.
80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.
107 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine.

Can't say I've noticed a trend but it would make sense if Caaaavan is anything to go by

DaveyDave

I think there should be a zero tolerance limit, doesn't it work quite well in places that have it? Australia or New Zealand I think? Then again, it doesn't matter if it's not enforced.

While we're on the subject, why in the feck do novice drivers have a smaller drink drive limit? When you're not a novice after two years you're suddenly allowed drink more. You're also allowed get more points and allowed break the law more. It makes no sense. Everyone should have the same limits, new or not. I understand new drivers have stricter limits to keep them in check but feck sake don't give them room to break the law more after 2 years...

Then again I'm also of the opinion that we need a 3 strike rule for disqualification. Regardless of the severity, speeding, phone, bus lane etc. 3 strikes and boom, no license. Nobody should have leeway to break any rules to be honest. But again, it's all a slap on the wrist anyway. I'm quite stern on it all because the state of driving is so piss poor here.