The ABC informs us that new drink driving laws have been tabled in the Legislative Assembly by Chief Minister Stanhope:
The measures include a zero blood alcohol limit for learner and probationary drivers and limited access to restricted licences.
No public naming process however, apparently there are privacy concerns.
Apparently drink driving is not acceptable to the Chief Minister. John Hargreaves anyone?
UPDATE: Mr Stanhope’s office have dragged themselves away from watching TV news long enough to get up a media release on this:
The new laws will:
— reduce the current blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for special drivers (including learner, provisional, public vehicle and heavy vehicle drivers and holders of restricted driving licences) from 0.02 to zero;
— extend the zero BAC limit to persons instructing or supervising learner drivers;
limit access to restricted (“work”) licences to genuine “first” offenders by changing the definition of “repeat offender” to mean anyone with a conviction for a drink driving or relevant offence, irrespective of how long ago that conviction was recorded;
— deny access to restricted licences for high range first offenders who exceed the applicable BAC by 0.05 or more (i.e. for full licence holders , a BAC of 0.10 or more);
— require police to immediately suspend the driver licence of a high range offender who exceeds the applicable BAC limit by 0.05 or more (i.e. for full licence holders a BAC of 0.10 or more);
— require all convicted drink drivers to attend an alcohol awareness course prior to being issued a probationary or restricted driver licence; and
— improve procedures relating to the taking and storing of blood samples from persons suspected of, or charged with, offences under the Act.