By TANEKA THOMPSON
Deputy Chief Reporter
PERSONS found driving over the proposed legal alcohol limit will face a $3,000 fine or jail time and have their licences suspended for up to a year once amendments to the Road Traffic Act are enacted.
The new restrictions are a part Government's tough stance on motorists driving under the influence of drugs or drink who are believed to be the ones responsible for most traffic accidents.
Autopsies of 25 drivers who died in traffic accidents in 2010 revealed that 17 of them had blood alcohol levels over the proposed new legal limit, the House was told yesterday.
Four of these accident victims had alcohol and drugs in their systems, National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest said as he debated the amendments to the Road Traffic Act in the House of Assembly yesterday.
Although the sample size of the study is small - only 36 of 44 traffic fatality victims were studied - Mr Turnquest said it is sufficient evidence to illustrate "the role alcohol plays in traffic fatalities and by extension traffic accidents."
Government hopes the penalties will deter drunk or "high" persons from getting behind the wheel.
Under the proposed amendments, police will be able to take breath, blood or urine samples of motorists who are suspected of driving under the influence of a substance.
The proposed alcohol limits are 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath; 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood; or 107 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of urine.
Mr Turnquest said that carefully screened officers will be trained and certified in the use of the "breathalysers" and sobriety testing and will be posted at specialised units.
The police force currently has 25 hand held and two stationary breath testing devices.
Under the amendments, a police officer's presence will not be legally required at the scene of an accident unless a person is killed, seriously injured or there is major damaged to a vehicle.
For the past five years, police have investigated on average more than 800 accidents a month, Mr Turnquest said.
Once the new law is passed, drivers will legally be able to come to an agreement over who is at fault for an accident and settle the matter without police intervention. The amendments also remove fixed penalty offences from the Criminal Procedure Code Act and place them in the Road Traffic Act.
This will allow a police officer to give a traffic offender a ticket or fixed penalty, giving them the option to pay a fine within a time period or have the matter heard in court.
Fixed penalties will be lower than fines given out by magistrates and are expected to reduce the number of traffic cases that clog the legal system.
A person who accepts a fixed penalty - avoiding a court appearance - will not have a conviction against them.
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