Drink driving
Drink driving contributes up to 30 per cent of driver and rider deaths on Victoria’s roads each year.
While there is approximately an equal number of drink driving deaths in metropolitan Melbourne and country Victoria, when population is taken into account motorists on country roads are more than twice as likely to be killed in drink driving crashes compared to motorists on metropolitan roads.
On a per head basis, motorists on country roads are more than twice as likely to be killed in drink driving crashes compared to motorists on Melbourne roads.
Several issues are important in delivering an effective response to drink driving in Victoria:
Drink driving data: There are gaps in the current processes used to establish the blood alcohol concentration of drivers who are injured in crashes, but not killed. These gaps compromise the development and effectiveness of drink driving countermeasures.
Drink driving in rural areas: The high rate of drink driving in the country reflects both the difficulties in applying random breath testing effectively in rural areas and the lack of alternative transport options in many of these areas. Specially targeted programs are an important element in tackling the drink driving problem on country roads.
Recidivist drink drivers: Research shows that repeat drink drivers often have alcohol abuse problems. Alcohol interlock programs and rehabilitation programs aimed at addressing alcohol problems can be effective in modifying the behaviour of recidivist offenders who do not respond to mainstream deterrence and education programs. Vehicle impoundment can also be considered for offenders who abuse the alcohol interlock program or unlicensed drivers under the influence of alcohol.
What the strategy will do
Measures taken through arrive alive 2008 - 2017 to reduce the incidence of drink driving will include:
- Increasing enforcement of drink driving laws, targeting high risk locations and times for drink driving.
- Following discussions with the emergency hospital sector, ensuring the routine blood sampling of all drivers who are injured in crashes.
- Undertaking specially targeted programs to tackle drink driving on country roads.
- Educating motorists to:
- understand the drink driving/crash risk even at low levels of consumption, particularly for younger drivers
- be aware of police enforcement and likelihood of detection
- plan alternatives to driving when intending to consume alcohol
- use public and approved personal breath testing devices.
- Extending the alcohol interlock program to young and inexperienced motorists, and strongly encouraging the voluntary take up of alcohol interlocks.
- Encouraging vehicle manufacturers to include alcohol interlocks in the design of new vehicles.
- Developing and assessing mandatory rehabilitation programs for recidivist drink drivers as a condition of relicensing.
- Examining tougher sanctions for recidivist drink drivers, including extension of vehicle immobilisation/impoundment provisions.
- Encouraging responsible alcohol serving practices and workplace policies that reduce the likelihood of drink driving behaviour.
