§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce(a) random breath testing of motorists by police, (b) a reduction in the current legal limit for drink driving, (c) a complete ban on drinking and driving, (d) a ban on carrying alcohol in lorry drivers' cabs and (e) all-year-round campaigns against drink driving. [5968]
§ Mr. MichaelWe have no plans to introduce random breath testing, a complete ban on drinking and driving or a ban on the carrying of alcohol in lorry cabs.
The law already provides the police with wide powers to test drivers for drinking and driving: they may administer a test in the event of an accident, a moving traffic offence or if they have cause to suspect a driver of having alcohol in his body. These powers are used extensively; in England and Wales in 1996 it has been calculated that some 781,000 roadside breath tests were carried out, the highest number ever.
164WMy noble Friend the Minister with responsibility for roads is currently considering a number of options for improving road safety, including the legal limit for drinking and driving. She will be looking very carefully at the findings of a research study into drink-drive countermeasures throughout the world, which was published by the Portman Group on 1 July.
It is the Government's intention to continue with regular drink-drive publicity campaigns, including at Christmas but not only at Christmas. The police act to identify drink-drive offenders all year round and the number of roadside screening tests and their results are published annually.