This move came as a result of the increase of road traffic accidents involving drivers who had been drinking alcohol. The Road Safety Act of introduced the first maximum legal blood alcohol drink driving limit in the UK.
The limit was set at a maximum BAC blood alcohol concentration of 80mg of alcohol per ml of blood or the equivalent milligrams of alcohol per millilitres of urine.
It became an offence to drive, attempt to drive or be in charge of a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration that exceeded the maximum prescribed legal limit. The Road Safety Act of also made it an offence for " A person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to provide a specimen for a laboratory test '. Any person who failed to provide an evidential blood or urine specimen for a laboratory test without reasonable excuse could be prosecuted and punished as if the offence charged were an offence of either driving, attempting to drive or being in charge of a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration above the maximum prescribed legal limit.
In the breathalyser act was given royal assent. Transport minister Barbara Castle introduced the breathalyser as a way of testing a person's BAC blood alcohol concentration level at the roadside. The act stated that the breathalyser device must be one that is type approved by the government. People protested to the introduction of the breathalyser and claimed that it was an infringement of their personal liberties, especially publicans, many of whom claimed impending bankruptcy.
The number 80 in the name refers to the BAC blood alcohol concentration limit it was designed to detect. This resulted in 1, fewer recorded deaths, 11, fewer serious injuries and 28, fewer slight injuries caused by road traffic accidents. The Transport Act introduced evidential breath testing and stated that 35 microgrammes of alcohol in millilitres of breath the equivalent of 80mg of alcohol in ml of blood was to be the maximum legal breath alcohol limit. Although the act introduced evidential breath testing legislation, it was not actually established and implemented until This was due to the various tests and trials that were, at the time, being carried out on evidential breath testing machines and the need for the manufacturers of these machines to produce, test and check large quantities for wide scale distribution and implementation.
The police force also needed to train its officers in the correct use of evidential breath testing machines in order to ensure correct procedure was always followed, this also took a considerable amount of time. The Transport Act stated that motorists that provided a breath test reading of up to 50 microgrammes of alcohol per millilitres of breath or less could have the right to the statutory option of providing a blood or urine sample whichever the police officer specified instead.
The statutory option was introduced to help instil confidence in the reliability and accuracy of evidential breath testing machines. The Lion Intoximeter is an evidential breath testing machine that provided much more accurate and reliable results than the portable hand-held breathalyser devices the police used at the roadside for preliminary breath testing. The readings these machines produced could be used as a basis for prosecution and hard evidence in a court of law!
The introduction of these evidential breath testing machines caused much controversy as to how accurate the readings actually were. However, the readings they produced, were scientifically proven to be very accurate and evidential breath testing, to this day, remains to be the principal means of testing a drivers BAC blood alcohol concentration level in order to help secure drink driving related convictions in a court of law. This is achieved by attending a DVLA medical , part of the medical includes providing a blood sample for analysis.
Drivers who fall into this category are required to satisfy the DVLA of their fitness to drive and a hold a driving licence. They must prove that they do not misuse alcohol and they are not alcohol dependant. High risk offenders must satisfactorily complete the medical before they will be issued with a driving licence upon expiration of a driving disqualification.
In , in addition to drivers who fall into the categories above, the high risk offender scheme was extended to cover drivers who:. The Road Traffic Act of introduced a new offence of ' Causing death by driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs ' which carried a compulsory prison sentence of up to five years. About Contact Press Blog. This is not a guarantee. SafeWise is an independent review site.
We may earn money when you click links on our site. Learn more. Smart Home FAQ. On this page: Sources Back to top. By Celeste Tholen. Published on October 05, Share Article. Stay Safe! Sign up for SafeWise's weekly newsletter.
Get updates on the latest safety news, product releases, and deals. Sign Up. Individuals being tested breathed into balloon-type gadget, and the air was mixed with a chemical solution. Existing road safety laws will also be reinforced in a major crackdown by the government.
A government spokesman announcing the plans said as yet it was unknown what the blood alcohol limit would be or how it would be tested. Greater responsibility The Home Office and police will enforce the new law when it is revealed in the Road Safety Bill expected next year.
The move is part of the government's campaign to make people to take more care on the roads and look out for themselves, other drivers and pedestrians. The introduction of the Road Traffic Act gave the Gardai the power to breathalyse any driver stopped at a mandatory alcohol checkpoint without the need to form any opinion in relation to the driver of the vehicle.
New lower drink drive limits were introduced in Ireland in October of A further lower limit of 0.
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