Lock Out Drink Driving campaign backs alcohol interlocks
A new campaign, Lock Out Drink Driving, has been launched to tackle drink driving and improve road safety.
The campaign will lobby government to introduce alcohol interlocks to prevent drink drivers from reoffending.
Alcohol interlocks use breath-testing devices that prevent the car from starting if they detect alcohol on a driver’s breath. They are already successfully deployed in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the US, and research from the RAC has found that 82% of motorists support their introduction in the UK.
This comes after statistics from the Department from Transport (DfT) revealed that 260 people lost their lives in collisions when a driver was over the legal alcohol limit in 2023, with an additional 1,600 people seriously injured.
Completely avoidable
A spokesperson for the campaign said: “The loss of lives each year due to drink driving is not only tragic but completely avoidable. The technology that can stop cars from starting if a driver has been drinking is ready to go, and the UK is behind the curve in implementing it.”
Simon Williams, head of policy at the RAC, said: “The RAC fully supports the Lock Out Drink Driving campaign because drivers are telling us loud and clear they want more done to stop drink-drivers reoffending.
“We welcome this strong new voice in Parliament calling for decisive action as the current penalties aren’t doing enough to stop repeat offenders. With drink-driving still causing tragic and entirely preventable loss of life, we believe alcohol-interlock technology offers a practical and proven way to stop repeat offenders and make our roads safer.”
