Stiff fines await drink-drivers

Press, 9 December 1988, Page 7

Stiff fines await drink-drivers

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

Tough new laws against the drinking driver will come into force next week.

Parliament passed the Transport Law Reform Act through its final stages last evening to legalise the new measures. Maximum fines for drinking and driving have been increased from $l5OO to $4500 for basic drink-drive offences while fines for offences causing injury or death rise from $4500 to $6OOO.

Too many people had died and too many were suffering from injuries from alcohol-related road accidents, said the Minister of Transport, Mr Jeffries. This new legislation reflected the community’s revulsion at those who drank and drove. Alcohol was involved in almost 50 per cent of all road fatalities in New Zealand, he said. Tougher penalties and improved enforcement techniques contained in the legislation would help because higher penalties

must enhance the deterrent effect of court fines and hurt the drinking driver where it hurts most — in the pocket. The breath-alcohol limit had been lowered from 500 to 400 micrograms of alcohol a litre of breath so it more closely related to the blood-alcohol level of 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, Mr Jeffries said.

More sophisticated breath-test-ing equipment now available was also provided for in the legisla-

tion. When these “conclusive” devices were used, a breathalcohol result exceeding 600 micrograms would be sufficient evidence for conviction and a blood test would not be required.

He said these new laws were designed to give the Ministry of Transport more scope to combat drinking and driving.

It was good that the legislation could be enacted before the Christmas holiday period.