The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has recently published a report in which it calls for EU Member States to do more on drink-driving enforcement and rehabilitation.
One of its main recommendations is that alcohol interlocks should be fitted in all new professional vehicles and retrofitted to cars used by repeat drink-driving offenders.
Some countries have already taken steps towards this tougher approach to drink driving. In a major road safety package announced last month, the French Government said all repeat drink-driving offenders would be required to install an alcohol interlock, an in-car breath testing device that prevents the vehicle from being started if the driver is over the limit. All coaches in France are already required to have the devices installed.
In September last year, Austria launched a national rehabilitation programme for drink-drivers that offers the option for drivers to install an interlock in order to get back behind the wheel before the full term of a driving ban has expired. Belgium, Denmark, Finland, The Netherlands, Poland and Sweden have introduced similar programmes as have the majority of US states.
ETSC says the programmes have proven to be one of the most effective measures for tackling drink-driving and should be extended across the European Union.
“High levels of enforcement are critical to solving Europe’s drink-driving problem,” explained Antonio Avenoso, Executive Director of ETSC. “And for those drivers who carry on getting behind the wheel after drinking, despite checks and sanctions, alcohol interlocks are an important and effective way of getting people rehabilitated.”
“It’s also crucial that drivers entrusted with professional vehicles carrying goods or passengers must never be allowed to get behind the wheel when they are over the limit,” he added. “Many fleets across Europe are already using interlock devices, it’s time they were made a standard feature.”
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