Lower limit planned

GUERNSEY'S drink-drive limit could be slashed. The Home Department may go to the States in April with a proposal to reduce it from 80 to 50 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

'There is clear evidence that people's ability to drive is impaired at the current level,' said Home minister Mike Torode.

'What we are trying to do is make the roads safer for everybody.'

Cutting the limit is one of a number of proposals being considered by the liquor licensing working party, chaired by deputy minister Francis Quin.

Deputy Torode said that the most likely vehicle for the proposal was the island's alcohol strategy, which was set to come before the States in the spring.

'I am all in favour of reducing the limit in a sensible way,' said Ann Robilliard, chairman of pedestrian safety group Steps. 'We support anything that makes the roads safer and therefore we see reducing the drink-drive limit as a good idea.'

She said, however, that pedestrians should also watch the amount they drink.

But Advocate Mark Dunster believes that motorists should have nothing to drink before driving.

He said that many people were unsure if what they had had to drink would put them over the limit. 'There is an argument that the drink-drive limit should be next to nothing,' said the Carey Olsen partner.

'At the moment it is too difficult to gauge whether you are over the limit or not when you go to drive. Part of the problem is that drinking affects the ability to judge and that includes the ability to assess whether you should drive or not. The limit should be cut, perhaps to 5mg just to allow for a strong wine gum or something similar.'

Advocate Dunster added that penalties in Guernsey tended to be stricter than in the UK. For example, people here would get a two or three-year ban where they may just get 12 months in the UK.

But the zero-reading option is not one which finds favour with the Home minister.

'We can't reduce the limit to nothing or just above,' said Deputy Torode.

'Because if you have a glass of wine in the evening, then by eight the next morning you may still be over, so you have to set a realistic level for that sort of situation.'

New research claims that cutting the limit from 80 to 50 would prevent 65 deaths and 230 injuries a year in the UK.

Acting Superintendent Ian Morellec said that there had been a dramatic improvement since the change to make it a legal requirement for a person suspected of drink-driving to give a breath test.

'It is a matter of culture,' he said. 'The system and education has improved and this has forced a culture change. If the limit did drop to 50, then no doubt over a period of time there would be a culture change for the majority of people, like there has been already, but it would take time to work through.'

During a House of Commons debate on the Road Safety Bill. Transport Secretary Alistair Darling rejected calls for the limit to be lowered, but said that it was continually under review. The bill passed its second reading last week.