A loophole that has enabled motorists to sober up waiting for a test to be carrying out by a doctor or nurse, is to be plugged by Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond. In response to Sir Peter North, former Principal of Jesus College, Oxford recommendations on safety on the roads, this is part of sweeping changes the Government is putting into place.
With these changes the Government has succeeded in angry road safety supporters by rejecting the idea of reducing the drive limit from 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood to just 50 that was suggested by Sir Peter.
A vital tool in stopping motorists from trying to get more time before a test is performed is scrapping the right to demand a blood test. By scrapping the right for a blood test the Department of Transport estimates that over 5,000 more drink drive convictions will be handed down annually.
The change means a breath test will be taken upon arrival to the police station and can be used in court and then the law will be tightened even more by having machines that will make roadside breath tests available that can also be used as evidence in court.
Also there will be drug testing machines that are capable of testing a myriad of drugs like amphetamines, ecstasy, cannabis and others and as soon as summer could be in police stations with a roadside machine receiving Whitehall approval before the end of the year bringing Britain up to par with many other countries.
A new law is being enacted to update the law on drug-driving that will create a new offence for having an illegal substance in your blood while getting behind the wheel and driving amending the current law that makes police prove that the illegal drug impaired the drivers performance.
