Drink-driving laws are set to be less tolerant

The national drink-driving limit is set to be cut by a third as the government sobers up on boozy driving, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt. A spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister said the current limit of 0.8g of alcohol per litre of blood, the highest in the EU, would be reduced to around 0.5g – the EU average – under new proposals. Earlier this month Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had said the government was committed to tackling drink-driving and would introduce "draconian" measures to address the situation, if need be. Twelve people have died in roadside accidents since January, and the number of injuries increased by nearly 30 per cent in the first quarter of this year. The OPM spokesman said the government had turned to its consultative committee on transport to draft recommendations for a reform in the penalties for driving offences. First-time offenders found over the limit behind the wheel are usually slapped with a €1,200 fine and possibly even a licence suspension of between a few months and three years. The spokesman said the government did not have a definitive answer on how steep the new penalties would be, adding only that these would be "harsh" and...

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