French drink-drivers could avoid losing their licenses

by installing a €1,300 breathalyzer

03/14/2019

Drink-drivers in France will be able to avoid losing their license by installing a device
that immobilizes their vehicle if it detects alcohol above the legal limit.
The scheme has been tested over the last year in various French regions but is being
now rolled out nationwide.
The breathalyzer connects to the vehicle's power supply and the driver must blow into
it to start the engine.
Installation of the device, which costs €1,300 or €100 per month to rent, will come out
of the pocket of the drink-driver.
The idea is to allow those convicted of low-level offences to keep their jobs — if they
require a vehicle — while still being held accountable.

Which drink-drivers are eligible?

Eligible drivers for the breathalyzer are ones intercepted with a blood alcohol level
greater than 0.8 grams per liter of blood and who are not in a state of "alcoholic
relapse". It is unclear whether there is a max blood alcohol level to make an offender
ineligible for the program.
The device will initially be installed in the vehicle of an offender for six months, but the
order may be extended by a court for up to five years in certain circumstances. Second
offenders will not be eligible to avoid a license suspension.

French road safety

After a steady decline in French road deaths since 1970, figures have been on the rise
again, by 3.4% in 2014, 2.2% in 2015 and 0.5% in 2016. Roads are still the leading cause of
violent death in France, according to the Road Safety Committee (CISR) with nine
fatalities and 65 serious casualties every day in 2016. In 2017, 1,035 people lost their
lives in a car crash involving a drink-driver, while alcohol abuse accounted for 20.8% of
all traffic offences.
France is not only tackling the issue of road safety among drink drivers. The government
has controversially lowered the maximum speed limit from 90 km/h to 80 km/h (50mph)
on some non-motorway roads.
Source: https://www.euronews.com/2019/03/14/french-drink-drivers-can-avoid-losing-their-licenses-by-installing-a-1300-breathalyser