❓ The Minister for Police provides an update on the imminent launch of the Liberal-National government's alcohol interlock scheme, outlining its target audience, operational details, and expected impact on recidivism and road safety.
AnsweredQoN 696Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ALCOHOL INTERLOCK SCHEME
696. Mr C.D. HATTON to the Minister for
Police:
Can the Minister for Police please
update the house on the progress of the Liberal–National government's
alcohol interlock scheme to manage high-level and repeat drink-drivers in Western
Australia?
696. Mr C.D. HATTON to the Minister for
Police:
Can the Minister for Police please
update the house on the progress of the Liberal–National government's
alcohol interlock scheme to manage high-level and repeat drink-drivers in Western
Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Balcatta for
his question and his continued interest in road safety matters in the state.
I am very pleased to announce that
the government's alcohol interlock scheme is due to start imminently.
On Sunday, I announced the advertising and education campaign that accompanies
our alcohol interlock scheme to advise members of the community who fall into
the scheme that they are about to have their lives significantly impacted should
they be eligible for an alcohol interlock program. People eligible for the
program will be first‑time offenders who have an excess 0.15 blood
alcohol level reading and a driving-under-the-influence conviction or
second-time offenders in the other categories of drink-driving.
Mr Speaker, 25 per cent of our
crashes have alcohol or drugs as a factor and as a state government we need to
ensure that we have initiatives to try to impact these recidivist
drink-drivers. We know that when alcohol interlocks are fitted there is a 64 per
cent reduction in recidivist offences for those people who have a problem with
drinking and driving. We have specifically targeted our scheme to ensure that
those people who fall into the scheme get some assistance for their problem—their
problem is drinking and driving. Once these drivers have served their penalty,
if they fall into the program, they will have a minimum of six months when they
have to have an alcohol interlock fitted to their vehicle. They will have to
blow a clear reading before they can start their vehicle. If they attempt to
tamper with the interlock device or attempt to start their vehicle while they
have excess alcohol in their system, the vehicle will not start. It will have a
timeout. Ultimately, the entire vehicle can be disabled should they try to
start it three times while they are over the limit. This will effectively
interrupt drinking and driving behaviour. Those people who are caught tampering
with their devices or trying to restart their vehicle when they have an excess
blood alcohol reading will go to six sessions of alcohol counselling to look at
correcting their drinking behaviour and the problem they have with alcohol.
I am really pleased to be the
minister who has brought this scheme into place in Western Australia. It was
one of my priorities when I was appointed as minister in 2012. Although it has
taken some time to achieve, it falls into place with other actions we have put
in place to cut down on drink-driving in the community, including sanctions
around vehicles, impounding offences, roadside disqualifications and increased
penalties for people who drink and drive on our roads. Obviously, the endgame
is to drive down incidences of drink-driving in our community in the interest
of reducing the road toll in this state. I thank members in this house for
assisting in the transition of that legislation through Parliament. I thank the
people in the Department of Transport and the Road Safety Commission who have
worked diligently to bring the program to the point at which we can now
implement it pretty much everywhere across the geographical spread of Western Australia.
his question and his continued interest in road safety matters in the state.
I am very pleased to announce that
the government's alcohol interlock scheme is due to start imminently.
On Sunday, I announced the advertising and education campaign that accompanies
our alcohol interlock scheme to advise members of the community who fall into
the scheme that they are about to have their lives significantly impacted should
they be eligible for an alcohol interlock program. People eligible for the
program will be first‑time offenders who have an excess 0.15 blood
alcohol level reading and a driving-under-the-influence conviction or
second-time offenders in the other categories of drink-driving.
Mr Speaker, 25 per cent of our
crashes have alcohol or drugs as a factor and as a state government we need to
ensure that we have initiatives to try to impact these recidivist
drink-drivers. We know that when alcohol interlocks are fitted there is a 64 per
cent reduction in recidivist offences for those people who have a problem with
drinking and driving. We have specifically targeted our scheme to ensure that
those people who fall into the scheme get some assistance for their problem—their
problem is drinking and driving. Once these drivers have served their penalty,
if they fall into the program, they will have a minimum of six months when they
have to have an alcohol interlock fitted to their vehicle. They will have to
blow a clear reading before they can start their vehicle. If they attempt to
tamper with the interlock device or attempt to start their vehicle while they
have excess alcohol in their system, the vehicle will not start. It will have a
timeout. Ultimately, the entire vehicle can be disabled should they try to
start it three times while they are over the limit. This will effectively
interrupt drinking and driving behaviour. Those people who are caught tampering
with their devices or trying to restart their vehicle when they have an excess
blood alcohol reading will go to six sessions of alcohol counselling to look at
correcting their drinking behaviour and the problem they have with alcohol.
I am really pleased to be the
minister who has brought this scheme into place in Western Australia. It was
one of my priorities when I was appointed as minister in 2012. Although it has
taken some time to achieve, it falls into place with other actions we have put
in place to cut down on drink-driving in the community, including sanctions
around vehicles, impounding offences, roadside disqualifications and increased
penalties for people who drink and drive on our roads. Obviously, the endgame
is to drive down incidences of drink-driving in our community in the interest
of reducing the road toll in this state. I thank members in this house for
assisting in the transition of that legislation through Parliament. I thank the
people in the Department of Transport and the Road Safety Commission who have
worked diligently to bring the program to the point at which we can now
implement it pretty much everywhere across the geographical spread of Western Australia.
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