Drivers caught with blood alcohol level at or above 0.08 will have their licences immediately suspended in Western Australia
July 25, 2012
Drivers caught with a blood alcohol level at or above 0.08 will have their licences immediately suspended from August 1 in Western Australia.
The move is part of the government’s push to strengthen drink-driving laws and include immediate disqualification for drivers who refuse a police request to provide a sample of blood or breath for analysis.
Motorists caught driving contrary to the new laws will receive a disqualification notice which, once served, immediately disqualifies the person from driving for two months.
Existing laws currently allow drivers caught with a blood alcohol level at or above 0.08 to drive until they appear in court.
“Alcohol is currently a factor in almost a third of crashes in which people are killed and seriously injured on Western Australian roads,” Police and Road Safety Minister Liza Harvey says.
“The community has an expectation that drink drivers, who are caught well above the legal limit, should not be allowed back on the roads until they have served a period of suspension.”
Harvey says those caught driving while disqualified will have their vehicle impounded and will not be able to apply for an extraordinary licence.
“A driver’s licence is a privilege and I am confident that this approach will serve to be an effective deterrent and a strong reminder that the risk is simply not worth it,” she says.
