Drink-Drivers not to be suspended from Driving

Dublin- First-time drink drivers won't be put off the road, under new laws due to come into force in autumn.
Instead of an automatic ban and court appearance, those found to be 'slightly over the limit' will be hit with penalty points and fines. The Road Traffic Bill 2008 has been hailed as a move which will crack down on dangerous driver behaviour in an effort to reduce the carnage on Irish roads. The current limit of 100 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood will be reduced to 80 meaning just one drink could put most drivers over the limit. But it's now emerged the constant message from safety experts that it's never ok to drink alcohol before getting behind the wheel - is about to be seriously undermined.Instead of an automatic ban and court appearance, those found to be 'slightly over the limit' for the first time will be hit with penalty points and fines. Repeat offenders and those well over the limit will be more severely penalised but that'll be cold comfort to both road safety experts and relatives of crash victims - as alcohol is a factor in one in three fatal collisions.
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