Time for ‘designated driver’ rule, says safety expert

 

A man died in this crash on the Sultan Iskandar Highway in June, involving a car whose driver was believed to be drunk. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: The provision of facilities such as hiring drivers or “designated drivers” should be made a mandatory condition for the licences of entertainment centres or places where alcohol is served, the head of a road safety institute said today.

Suret Singh, chairman of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Reserch (Miros) said that several countries such as Australia and Japan had already adopted the “designated driver” method and experienced a decline in the number of road accidents involving drivers under the influence of alcohol.

His comments came as new heavier penalties came into force today for drink driving, or driving under the influence of alcohol, and for reckless driving.

The amendments to the Road Transport Act include a new alcohol content limit of 22 mcg in 100ml of breath; 50mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood and 67mg of alcohol in 100ml of urine.

Suret said: “It is not recommended to drive after consuming alcoholic beverages, to ensure the safety of the driver and other road users”, Bernama reported.

Heavier penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs would create greater public awareness amongst road users to obey traffic laws as well as to ensure that roads are safer for all road users, he added.

While police are spearheading strict enforcement of this law, he reiterated that Miros would work together with the Road Transport Department as well as other relevant departments and agencies to conduct more advocacy and awareness programmes.

Advocacy, he said, was important to ensure that people understood why the government imposed heavier penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs as well as for reckless driving. -FMT