Drink-drive victim's mother backs calls for legal limit to be slashed by half (VOTE)
A GRIEVING mum has welcomed recommendations to slash the legal drink-drive limit.
Isobel Coggan, 47, of Lloyds Avenue, Scunthorpe, lost her 19-year-old son, Dale, in an accident caused by a drink-driver six years ago.
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SUPPORT: Isobel Coggan holds a picture of her son Dale Coggan, who was killed by a drink-driver.
He was a passenger in a car being driven by a motorist who was over the limit.
She reacted positively to a review by Sir Peter North, which called for the limit to be reduced from 80mg alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg.
The Government-commissioned report, which was made public yesterday, said setting this new limit would lead to hundreds of lives being saved.
Mr North is a leading academic and legal expert, who was asked by former transport secretary, Lord Adonis, to review drink and drug-driving laws and made 51 recommendations in total.
Isobel said: "It is absolutely brilliant and when people get stopped, they won't be able to say they didn't know how much they could or couldn't have. I am 100 per cent for it but whether they will be able to bring it in is another thing and you are still going to get people who drink and drive regardless."
Isobel said she would like to see the limit reduced even further.
"People say they have only had one but I have none," she said.
"I have zero tolerance and I think that should be across the board."
Other recommendations in the report include removing the right for drivers to demand a second breathalyser test at police stations and pegging the legal limit for novice drivers at 20mg per 100ml of blood.
A new offence of driving with an illegal substance in the bloodstream at levels deemed impairing is also recommended.
Isobel added: "With novice drivers, I totally agree to lower it or cut it altogether.
"If you are a novice driver, you need to concentrate a lot more and alcohol does influence your driving."
More than 100 motorists were locked up in a police campaign to catch drink-drivers over Christmas and new year as the force continued to get tough on offenders.
A total of 3,556 roadside breath tests were carried out between November 1 last year and New Year's Day, with 103 positive.
The latest recommendations on reducing the legal limit were welcomed by the North Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership, which includes Humberside Police and North Lincolnshire Council.
Pete Scott, who is also the head of the council's safer roads team, said: "The partnership welcomes any proposals to reduce the alcohol limit for drivers.
"We are aware of the various arguments about how tinkering with limits will only confuse drivers, but the simple message from the partnership is, if you are going to drive, don't drink alcohol.
"Any level of alcohol in a driver's system impairs their judgement and reaction times, thus increasing the risk of crashing.
"Although drink-driving is now socially unacceptable to the vast majority of people, there is still a hardcore of persistent offenders.
"That is why drink-drive enforcement remains a high priority."
11 Comments
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by Hollie Coggan, Scunthorpe
Saturday, June 19 2010, 1:10PM
“T.Bird i think what your saying about my mum is bang out of order and to say my brother deserved what he got is a f***ing joke. Its not my mum who makes these laws but if you had half a brain cell you would realise this. What is your full name id be curious to find out.. burringham is a small village are you what lazy that you can not walk to the pub yourself and walk home? why are your comments so personal?”
by RobS, Goole
Friday, June 18 2010, 10:42AM
“Statistically this just makes no sense at all and the fact is that drivers have a responsibility to know when they are fit or unfit to drive. Debilitating hay fever and sneezing fits could be far more dangerous than a couple of pints over a long meal and zero limits just don't work anywhere in the world. The biggest avoidable killer is on the road is tiredness. Comments on airbags are nonsense - unless not wearing a seat belt or hunching over wheel when they can become lethal. Anyone who gets into a car with a drunk driver is a fool and is condoning criminal behaviour.”
by Arty, N Lincs
Friday, June 18 2010, 8:27AM
“There's no evidence that drivers just under the existing limit are any more danger than those who haven't had a drink at all; and those who flout the existing limit will continue to do the same with any lower one. What's needed is more enforcement of the existing limit to ensure the drinks get caught BEFORE they kill or injure anyone. There also ought to be a new offence created, that of being carried in a car diven by a drunk. That would put some onus on passengers to ensure their driver is fit to do so.”
by T.Bird, Burringham
Thursday, June 17 2010, 11:20PM
“what a stupid woman, her son sat in the passenger seat when he knew the driver was over the drink driver limit, he deserves what he got. There will always be people who break the law and they will suffer the consequences. but the limit should be kept as it is, I like to go to the local for 2 pint and have a natter for about 3 hours, whats wrong with that. There are many bad drivers on the roads who are just full of road rage, but we can't ban them can we?”
by ad, n lincs
Thursday, June 17 2010, 6:02PM
“If this happens I may have to give up driving for good”