Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/769023
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 4 JANUARY 2017 News 7 230 breathalyzer tests last year CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Social policy minister Michael Far- rugia said that the government "isn't proposing planting po- lice outside wedding halls but the culture must slowly start to change". However, Philip Fenech warned that there existed an- other side of the coin. For ex- ample, a couple who goes out on a simple dinner date con- sisting of a pizza or a plate of pasta and a bottle of wine would be expected to pay around €40. If they had to fac- tor in an average-distance taxi drive (e.g. Balzan to St Julian's) into the equation, then the cost of their night out would conservatively be expected to shoot up by another €40. "This isn't a criticism of the anti-drink and driving cam- paign itself, but an observation in that it will have an effect on the number of times people go out," he said. "A couple who used to go out to eat twice a week might now only be able to go out once a week." As for the option of catch- ing a bus, Fenech warned that Malta doesn't have an efficient public transport system as oth- er countries with underground systems. And if they choose to go out for dinner but not drink alcohol, "then that would be telling on the beverages indus- try". Latest available figures dated back to 24 December indicate that police carried out 230 breathalyzer tests in 2016, up from 80 the previous year. 190 drivers were charged in court with drink driving, out of whom 90 were found guilty – with penalties ranging from fines to licence suspensions. Police also carried out 850 road checks last year, 250 of which were close to entertainment zones. Over 6,500 road accidents were reported in Malta last year, significantly down from the 15,504 reported in 2015. Yet, while the number of road accident incidents plummeted, the number of traffic fatalities rose sharply – from 11 in 2015 to 23 last year. tdiacono@mediatoday.com.mt The current limit of 0.8g of alcohol per litre of blood, the highest in the EU (alongside the UK), is set to be reduced to around 0.5g – the EU average – under new proposals. The new limit will be equivalent to one small beer. What is the drink driving limit? A 2010 Eurobarometer study had found that 99% of Maltese drivers had no idea what the limit was, while 17% of motorists admitted that they drink every day. The legal driving limit in Malta is 0.8% BAC (8 grams of alcohol in 10,000 grams of blood), 35 milligrams per 100 millilitres of breath or 107 milligrams per 100 millilitres of urine. However, the law provides for a further amount of alcohol that can be consumed before the driver can be convicted of an offence. The proportion of alcohol in the breath, blood or urine can exceed the prescribed limit by 8 microgrammes or more in the breath or by 20 milligrammes or more in the blood or by 23 milligrammes or more in urine. How much can you drink? As a rule of thumb, two pints of regular- strength lager or two small glasses of wine would put you over the limit. But this isn't cast in stone because the level of alcohol can be dependant on a number of other factors, including weight, age, sex, metabolism, what you've eaten recently and your stress levels at the time. All of the above contribute to how your body processes alcohol, so everyone has different limits. What is the penalty for drink driving? You could be imprisoned, banned from driving and face a fine if you're found guilty of drink driving. If caught driving over the limit when stopped by the police you'll get a big fine at court and confiscation of your licence. If your blood alcohol limit is above 80mg then you could also face imprisonment. The actual penalty you get is up to the magistrate who hears your case, and depends on your offence. A first offence carries a fine of not less than €1,200 or to imprisonment not exceeding three months, or both. For a second or subsequent conviction, the punishment is raised to a fine of not less than €2,329 or to imprisonment not exceeding six months or to both such fine and imprisonment. How does alcohol affect driving? Alcohol hinders the capacity to exercise self-control, impairs judgement and renders drivers under influence more susceptible to danger. After consuming alcohol your brain takes longer to receive messages from the eye and processing information becomes more difficult. Instructions to the body's muscles are delayed, resulting in slower reaction times while blurred and double vision may be experienced. Moreover, you are more likely to take potentially dangerous risks because you can act on urges you normally repress Why are women more sensitive to alcohol? Alcohol affects women differently than men because they absorb alcohol into the bloodstream faster and metabolize it slower than men. Since, on average, women are smaller than men, equivalent doses of alcohol produce higher levels of concentration in women's bodies. The average female carries more body fat than the average male, and body fat contains little water. Consequently, most women have less body water to dilute the alcohol, leaving a higher concentration of alcohol in women's bodies. Women have less alcohol dehydrogenase – a metabolizing enzyme that helps the body get alcohol out of its system – than men, so more of what women drink enters the bloodstream as pure alcohol. Also, alcohol increases the estrogen levels – birth control pills or other medications with estrogen will cause the intoxicating effects to set in at lower levels of BAC. Drink limit by country The laws of driving under the influence vary between European countries, with Czech Republic and Hungary being the strictest while Malta and the UK are currently the most lenient. Austria 0.5 Belgium 0.5 Bulgaria 0.5 Croatia 0.5 Cyprus 0.2 Czech Republic 0.0 Denmark 0.5 Estonia 0.2 Finland 0.5 France 0.5 Germany 0.5 Greece 0.5 Hungary 0.0 Ireland 0.5 Italy 0.5 Latvia 0.5 Lithuania 0.4 Luxembourg 0.5 Malta 0.8 Netherlands 0.5 Poland 0.2 Portugal 0.5 Romania 0.0 Slovakia 0.0 Slovenia 0.5 Spain 0.5 Sweden 0.2 UK 0.8 Switzerland 0.5 Drink driving in Malta Fewer road accidents last year, but more fatalities Philip Fenech