VICE chairman of the National Road Safety Council, Dr Lucien Jones, is calling for revised legislation to lower the allowable blood alcohol limit for motorists.

Jones was speaking at a handing over ceremony of 20 new breathalysers to the police by the government yesterday.

National security minister, Derrick Smith (centre), blows hard into one of the new breathalyser machines given to the police yesterday. Looking on are (from left), Deputy Commissioner in Charge of Operations, Linval Bailey; head of the police traffic department, Superintendent Elon Powell; and vice chairman of the National Road Safety Council, Dr Lucien Jones. In background is Sergeant Jubert Llewelyn of the Constabulary Communication Network. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

He said local laws allowed motorists to have a blood alcohol count of .35 per cent while international levels are between .05 to .12 per cent.

"We are asking for the level to be lowered significantly. The blood alcohol count level is far too high," Jones said.

Jones also called for the government to allow traffic cops to conduct random sobriety tests on motorists.

"The law does not allow the police to do random tests. They should be able to test anyone at anytime without suspicion that the driver is under the influence of alcohol," he said.

The breathalysers donated yesterday, were acquired at a cost of US$230,000 and were handed over by national security minister, Derrick Smith, at the Traffic Headquarters at the Elletson Road Police Station in East Kingston. The instruments were tested and calibrated by the Bureau of Standards.

Smith used the occasion to appeal to motorists to exercise caution on the road during the Yuletide season. He singled out the drivers of route taxis whom he accused of careless and reckless use of the roads.

"These hustlers are taking serious risks with their lives, those of their passengers and other users of the roadway," Smith said.
Up until Wednesday, 313 persons lost their lives in traffic accidents this year, in comparison to 361 last year.

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