Public-house enemy number one

I know this is not really your department, but being honest is. I get the feeling we are being railroaded into having lower drink drive limits. The constant reference to lower levels in Europe, although correct in certain countries, does not reflect the true situation. In many if you are caught over the limit you do not lose your licence on a first offence and in some, when you do, if you drive for a living you can continue Monday to Friday and hand the car in at weekends and holidays while the ban lasts. This not only keeps you working but saves the Government money by not shelling out Dole because you can't work. It is the same with the Road Pricing Lobby. Ok, you pay for Autoroutes in France, for example, but you do not pay an annual road fund licence. And they conveniently forget to mention that the normal non-toll A roads are a lot better than our motorways anyway and all French roads are far better surfaced. I had hoped our new Government would keep away from new laws for a while at least.

Asked on 28 August 2010 by KJ, via email

Answered by Honest John
I agree and I am very angry with the IAM for blindly supporting this without thinking through the potential consequences. It's a 'hangover' from the old government that our new government was too busy trying to sort out the country to notice. You are correct that, with the lower limit, the drink drive laws work far less onerously in some
EU countries, but not all. If the lower limit is applied and prosecutions made, especially ‘morning after’, thousands will lose their jobs with no prospect of ever working again at the same level and the likelihood is that no lives will be saved because the deterrent is no different for habitual heavy drinkers. Unfortunately the Gov will probably have to take up Rothschilds plan for road pricing to pay off the labour debt, but it’s ironic that the rich will get even richer as a result.
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