Progress in reducing drink driving in Europe (report)

This report looks at how to reduce the 5,000 deaths caused annually by drink-driving in the European Union and concludes that alcohol interlocks should be fitted in all new vehicles used by professional drivers – and retrofitted to cars used by repeat drink-driving offenders.

An alcohol interlock is an in-car breath testing device that prevents a vehicle from being started if the driver is over the drink drive limit.

Alongside the call for mandatory alcohol interlocks in vans, lorries and buses, the report asks EU member states to increase enforcement and introduce rehabilitation programmes for drink-drive offenders.

The report points to programmes across Europe, including in France where as of January 2018 all repeat offenders are required to install an alcohol interlock.

In Austria, a national rehabilitation programme for drink-drivers was introduced in September 2017 which offers offenders the option to install an interlock in order to have their licence back before the full term of a ban has expired.

The ETSC says programmes such as these have ‘proven to be one of the most effective measures for tackling drink-driving’ and should be extended across the EU.