Drink Driving Law Change !

The law in New South Wales finally got tough on drink driving and driving under the effect of drugs. Those who now fail a breath analysis test will automatically lose their driving license for three months and be served with a $561 fine.   That now applies to all - first offenders and even the slightest measure over that 0.05 limit.

Before this law came into effect the offender had to face a court and sometimes the court was lenient.  The big difference was that they could legally continue driving until that court appearance.  License cancellation was only imposed on those who returned an 08 or greater breath analysis.

Those tested for drugs face an anxious wait until the results are returned by the states drug testing laboratory, but the penalty is the same as for alcohol.  Three months license loss means facing life without the use of the car, and in many households that is little short of disaster.

We are long past the days of the " six o'clock swill " when the roads were awash with drivers with alcohol in their blood. The great majority of people carefully limit what they drink before they drive but there is an unruly element who regularly dice with the law and they are the people constantly arrested for trying to evade breath testing stations.

This law change will accelerate the number of people who completely abstain from alcohol at social functions if they need to drive afterwards.  It is just too easy to have that one drink too many - and lack of a driving license can mean job loss or the inability to get the kids to school.  In many households the car is synonymous with suburban living and where public transport is non existent.

The number of cars on our crowded roads is ever increasing and these draconian measures are needed if we are to avoid soaring deaths and injuries.  It is quite evident that this new law will increaser the number of people illegally using a car when their driving license has been cancelled and the police will need to take counter measures.

Don't be surprised if the police give attention to the cars in a family with a suspended driver. Police cars on traffic duty have equipment capable of reading the number plates of cars passing in the road stream and these can be instantly compared with the records to ensure they are registered and have green slip insurance.   The suspended driver who thinks he or she can avoid surveillance by driving a family members car will probably get an unpleasant surprise.

What goes with this license crackdown is a penalty increase for those found ignoring license loss and still driving on our roads.  Just as driving above that 0.05 limit now has increased consequences, driving after license loss must be more heavily punished.   We are rapidly reaching the stage where that will mean an automatic prison sentence.

We now have a practical reason to avoid alcohol when we need to drive.