New Road laws in Ireland in January 2008...

[mcgon1979]

The highlights being, no more drinking at all without the risk of being over. A bottle of beer could do it now! Also, the new learners permit will replace the Provisional License and wil limit the learner to a 1 litre car. no more FTO driving unless you have a full license.


Now just one drink will put motorists over limit
By Treacy Hogan Irish Independent
Tuesday October 23 2007

MOTORISTS who drink even a pint of beer or a glass of wine before getting behind the wheel will soon be put off the road.

A cut in the drink-driving limit is part of the Government's new road safety strategy, the Irish Independent has learned.

It will be unveiled by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern on Thursday.

The current limit of 80 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood or urine is the second highest limit in Europe. Ireland is one of just two countries with such a high limit.

Under the government plan, which has more than 100 specific measures, the limit will be reduced to 50mg. The new limits will come into force early in the New Year.

In practice, this means drivers will not be able to drink at all without running the risk of being over the limit.

Studies have shown that dropping the limit to 50mg/100mls can significantly reduce road deaths.

When Sweden lowered the limit in 1990, fatal alcohol-related accidents were reduced by 10pc. Similar experiences were found in Austria, Belgium and France.

The change, along with the other elements of the strategy drawn up by the Road Safety Authority (RSA), was only approved by the Cabinet last week. Road safety experts have been clamouring for years for a cut in the legal limit, but the Government has so far resisted reducing the level.

The Government has also pledged to scrap the now discredited provisional licence and replace it with a new learner permit.

The permit is expected to include similar restrictions as apply in other EU countries, including a zero alcohol limit and a one-litre car restriction.

The loophole, which allows L drivers to drive unaccompanied on their second licence, is also being scrapped under the new learner permit system.

RSA chairman Gay Byrne branded the provisional licence system, which permits more than 400,000 drivers to hold such licences untested or tested and failed, a "national scandal" when he started the job two years ago. The last road safety strategy expired last year. Its key elements -- penalty points, a dedicated Garda Traffic Corps, the introduction of random breath testing, and a new road safety authority -- have been put in place.

However, one key outstanding element, a network of 600 privately operated speed cameras which will carry out over 11 million checks every year, has been carried forward into the new blueprint.

The private speed camera plan is currently out to to tender after six firms, Irish and overseas, were shortlisted.

The strategy will be unveiled at Government Buildings by the Taoiseach, Transport Minister Noel Dempsey and Mr Byrne.

Among key provisions are:

l Reduction in the drink- driving alcohol limit.

l Roadside testing for drugs where drivers are involved in crashes, once a reliable test becomes available .

l Secondary students allowed to take the driver theory test and special training programmes for young drivers.

l The speed camera plan which promises 600 covert and overt units.

l Annual audit of speed limits on all national roads.

Also expected is a review of standards for the management of roadworks, following a number of fatalities involving drivers at unfinished schemes.

There will be a promise to introduce compulsory basic training, starting with motorcyclists by the end of this year but extending to L drivers.

Drink-driving limits in the North could be slashed. Environment minister Arlene Foster revealed she is considering cutting the limit to mirror other European countries with levels as low as 20mgs of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

- Treacy Hogan

[mcgon1979]

I reckon it will go a good deal to reducing the road deaths. Similar reductions have made it more "unacceptable" to have just one drink in other countries and thus have reduced the road deaths. As for insurance companies. I doubt it very much at all. Still, its 100 times better than it was. I paid 3,500PUNT (5000euro) at one stage for 3rd party on a 1.6 when I was 21. I now pay 800 on a 2.0 fto fully comp. Certainly better. although I think i will be screwed this year because of my bumper tap. Booooo

[kevinod]

The just one drink thing wouldn't bother me on the night, if I drive I don't have as much as a sip anyway, and I don't see the point in having just 1 beer myself but how is that going to affect the morning after checks? There's a lot of people getting caught as it is with the current limit, I'd say you won't be able to drive most of the next day after a few drinks, if at all.

Might be time to invest in one of those home breathalysers I think...

[colm_mcm]

The 1.0 restriction makes it interesting from a new car sales point of view.

I make out there's currently only 10 new car models availible in sub-1.0 (6 of which use the Toyota 3 cylinder engine)

Chevrolet Matiz
Citroen C1/ Toyota Aygo/ Peugeot 107
Daihatsu Sirion and Charade
Opel Corsa and Agila
Toyota Yaris.

[kevinod]

Whoa, didn't realise there were that few 1L cars these days, used to be a load, now most 1.2 or 1.3 engines as the smallest!

[colm_mcm]

Yup. most moved up to 1.2 and 1.3. Micra being the biggest shocker, they discontinued the 1.0 a few years ago, it appeared in the new shaped and then they dropped it.

[Muad_dib77]

They should just do away with the learner stuff altogether..what's the point?

It doesn't make sense to me that there isn't a proper driver education system in place in this country.

Granted it would cause a stir - but it would create a god few jobs..(driving instructors!)

As for the drinking thing - fair play!

[colm_mcm]

fair play till you get caught the day after you've been drinking and you could be still over a very low limit. I never drink and drive but alcohol stays in your system longer than you'd think, does this mean no driving till evening if you've been drinking the day/night before

[mcgon1979]

personally I think the tolerance should be 0mg. No point in allowing 1 bottle of beer for example. It just enocurages the point that "some" is acceptable and you'll br grand with a meal and 2 bottles etc etc that sort of thing. If your driving, just stay off the beer. If your driving the next day, stop drinking at midnight and get 8 hours rest to break it down. People who binge drink from 9pm till 3am and then fall out of bed at 630am to drive to work are planks if they are surprised they are over the limit with only 3.5hours to try and break down the alcohol in 8 pints etc. It takes about 1 hour per unit to break it down.

[Dragonheart]

One of my mates is a guard and thought he'd try this out. Had 4 or 5 pints one night, drinking till maybe 12, it was about 2 the next day he was back to legal, tested himself every hour.
I agree with no drinking, whenever I have the car, no way would I touch it, not just cause of cops but its just pure stupidity. But this craic of being over the next morning is a joke, I've known a few lads who were stopped going to work at 6.30 or 7. One fella was done for it.

[Dean]

personally I think the tolerance should be 0mg.

0MG! WTF! R0FLC0PTER

[mcgon1979]

personally I think the tolerance should be 0mg.

0MG! WTF! R0FLC0PTER

???????

seriously? If your drinking you just don't drive.

EUROPEAN DRINK DRIVE LIMITS (Grams of alcohol per litre of blood)
0.8g = UK, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta
0.5g = Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany Greece, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain
0.4g = Lithuania
0.2g = Norway, Poland, Sweden
Zero tolerance = Estonia, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary
Source: European Road Safety Observatory

[Sebastian]

personally I think the tolerance should be 0mg.

0MG! WTF! R0FLC0PTER

???????
seriously? If your drinking you just don't drive.

EUROPEAN DRINK DRIVE LIMITS (Grams of alcohol per litre of blood)
0.8g = Ireland,
Zero tolerance = Romania

AGREE

[Wildhound]

I'm sorry but 12 hours after a session you're still going to have a small bit of alcohol in your blood even though you'd be in no way impaired by it. I can't agree with the zero tolerance approach.

We should certainly be in line with the EU average though.

[mcgon1979]

I'm sorry but 12 hours after a session you're still going to have a small bit of alcohol in your blood even though you'd be in no way impaired by it. I can't agree with the zero tolerance approach.

We should certainly be in line with the EU average though.

I don't agree at all! this is just an excuse for people to be irresponsible. If your up at 6am to drive to work, you be responsible and don't drink after 6pm and get plenty of rest. I have no sympathy for those who booze until 3am, fall in the door and then moan that they get done at 9am the next day saying its unfair? those people need to be put off the road. Totally irresponsible. It does not take 12 hours to get alcohol out of your system unless you've drunk an entire bottle of brandy on your own. Which is hardly responsible if your driving the next morning. This will give you an idea....

The rate at which alcohol is metabolized is the same for virtually everyone regardless of their height, weight, s3x, race or other such characteristics.

Alcohol is metabolized at the rate of .015 of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) every hour. 1 Thus a person with a very high BAC of .15 will have no measurable alcohol in the bloodstream after ten hours (.15 divided by .015 = 10).

Keep in mind that .15 means you'd be VERY drunk!!!! The secret is, if you know your up for work in 8 hours, be responsible and don't get VERY drunk.

(yeah I know Im a bit hardline, and I know country people argue they should be allowed have a few pints and drive home as there is no taxi's or public transport in the country etc etc... I still don't agree)

[Dean]

personally I think the tolerance should be 0mg.

0MG! WTF! R0FLC0PTER

???????

You just arent nerdy enough to understand that one.


http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=omg

[mcgon1979]

You just arent nerdy enough to understand that one.


http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=omg

Well, I think I would actually be Nerdy enough having spent the past 10 years working in Software Dev. I have never before seen ROFLCOPTER???

Rolling on the floor laughing .... COPTER?

[Muad_dib77]

I'm guessing it involves legs spinning in the air... like breakdancing ..

Maybe something to do instead of drink-driving?

[mcgon1979]

Yep, I was never really into the whole warcraft / virtual life / sims type thing. More of a flight sim man.

roflcopter
Invented by a Blizzard moderator on the Warcraft III forum. There is always much whining going on on those official forums, much sucking up to moderators and an awful lot of 'BLUE!!! PLZ REPLY!!!1one' (Blue = color of moderator posts), so when a mod posts something, you can bet there'll be thousands of people jumping on it, if only to spam 'BLUE FIX GARGZ PLZZZZ' or 'first reply woooot!' after it in the vain hope that the mod will read it and react.
So when one invented this new buzzword, it was grabbed and squeezed out and spread like a virus across all of the Blizzard forums and from there over the internet.
The word is derived from a unit in Warcraft III, the gyrocopter (flying machine).

[Myfeckin FTO]

Back on topic "Copters"

To be honest - I think the new limit should be as low as we go here in Ireland. I live in the West - where there is NO public transport - and the nearest taxi is 30miles away. If I want to go for a meal and have a glass of wine I like to be secure in the knowledge I'm not going to be targeted at a checkpoint and face time off the road.

I see no discernible difference in my driving whether I am stone cold sober or have A glass of wine - In fact I am likely to concentrate more on my driving when I have small levels of alcohol as it would be in my head that I have alcohol in my system.

I am in no way defending drink driving - I just think we need to apply a little common sense here. A zero tolerance of alcohol could put a lot of hardworking law-abiding people from around my area off the road - which would have adverse effects on the families they support.

This country is really starting to annoy me recently - its becoming less of a free society - and more and more like totalitarianism.
Lack of infrastructure be it roads or public transport or efficent policing or efficent governance should not be substituted for sets of draconian measures in an attempt to hide the real inadequacies of the system.

[mcgon1979]

Have no fear maud. They will NEVER have a zero tolerance approach here in Ireland. NEVER. You can take that to the bank. To many interests against it.
However, it is show that even a glass of wine will adversely affect your reaction times. Even if it feels like you a sharper and paying more attention. I used to always have a bottle of beer if I was going out for food and everyone was drinking. Just one bottle. Then I stopped about 3 or 4 years ago and don't even have one. The reason being, accidents happen all the time. If a kid or someone did run out in front of me and I hit them, even if it wasn't my fault, I would always question whether that one bottle had in any way affected my reaction to the situation. ITs just not worth it to me. but I can sympathise with people who live in a dormer bungalow 3 miles from the town or village. they are basically cut off. So its a difficult situation to adjudicate on.

[Wildhound]

I think people are getting carried away with this. Just to get it straight, I'm totally and completely against drink driving and I'm disgusted by people who do it. However there are so many reasons why zero tolerance isn't the way to go, and Myfeckin has given a valid example.

There's absolutely no way that having a single glass of wine and driving impairs you more than being tired, or having just given blood, or being in an argument with a passenger, or any number of other things that will never be illegal.

My point is not that it's a good idea to have a drink if you know you have to drive later, but that there are a lot of equally or more dangerous things you could be doing that aren't monitored. Therefore it seems irrational to single out people with a minute bit of alcohol in their blood.

Another example is that, while talking on a mobile phone while driving is now illegal, it doesn't land you with a mandatory court appearance and a driving ban. That's despite the fact that it's been proven to be MORE dangerous than being drunk. Drunk, not just slightly over the limit. Yet these people continue to get away with it and get what... two or three points if the guards bother to stop them? Now that pisses me off.

[Dean]

Yep, I was never really into the whole warcraft / virtual life / sims type thing. More of a flight sim man.

roflcopter
Invented by a Blizzard moderator on the Warcraft III forum. There is always much whining going on on those official forums, much sucking up to moderators and an awful lot of 'BLUE!!! PLZ REPLY!!!1one' (Blue = color of moderator posts), so when a mod posts something, you can bet there'll be thousands of people jumping on it, if only to spam 'BLUE FIX GARGZ PLZZZZ' or 'first reply woooot!' after it in the vain hope that the mod will read it and react.
So when one invented this new buzzword, it was grabbed and squeezed out and spread like a virus across all of the Blizzard forums and from there over the internet.
The word is derived from a unit in Warcraft III, the gyrocopter (flying machine).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipZ67blyPMk