East Antrim DUP MLA Alastair Ross has welcomed the fall in the number of people caught drink driving over the Christmas period, despite reports in December that suggested the opposite trend. The DoE and PSNI has a high profile anti-drink drive campaign over the festive period and it would appear that the message is getting through to all but a minority of drivers. Mr Ross has tabled a number of motions in the Assembly over the past two years aimed at improving road safety, including a call for the reduction of the current drink drive limit. Speaking this morning from Parliament Buildings, Mr Ross said,
“It is encouraging that the latest drink driving figures show there has been a significant fall in the number of motorists caught drink driving over the Christmas period compared to the same period in 2008.
Figures released this morning indicate that the PSNI carried out 5,780 tests with 414 failing. This represents a fall of some 13% on the previous year.
Whilst these are encouraging, we cannot be complacent, and it is to be welcomed that both the Department for the Environment and the Environment Committee at Stormont remain totally committed to tackling the drink drive problem. I look forward to tougher penalties for those who continue to risk not only their own lives, but also the lives of others, by getting behind the wheel of a car after drinking alcohol.
It is important that motorists get the message that drink driving costs lives, and irrespective of what the drink drive limit is, the safest course of action is to abstain from drinking alcohol if you intend to get behind the wheel.”
