"Patron Saint" of travellers honoured

Representatives involved in public health and road safety assembled in London on 9th October for a special luncheon to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1967 Road Safety Act, which introduced the breathalyser and the 80mg. legal alcohol limit for drivers, and to honour Barbara Castle, the Minister responsible for the Act. The luncheon was hosted by Professor Brian Prichard, chairman of the Institute of Alcohol Studies.

Guests included Baroness Hayman, the present Minister of Road Safety; Miss Betty Boothroyd MP, the Speaker of the House of Commons and a long-time friend and colleague of Baroness Castle, and broadcaster and journalist, Nick Ross.

The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and EU Transport Commissioner Neil Kinnock provided written tributes to Baroness Castle.

Speaking for the Association of Chief Police Officers, Assistant Commissioner Paul Manning also paid tribute to the tremendously beneficial effect of the 1967 Act over 30 years in saving tens of thousands of lives, and to the personal contribution made by Baroness Castle.

Turning to the future, Mr Manning said that 'the police service has now taken the view that there is clear evidence to support a reduction in the current acceptable level of alcohol in the blood from 80mgs to 50mgs.'

Mr Manning continued: "We are convinced this will save additional lives not only by curtailing the current drinking habits of drivers but especially by reinforcing to all drivers, including the younger ones, that really it is not safe to drink at all if you intend to drive.

I am aware of the arguments which imply that lowering the limit will not deter the hardened drinker who drives in excess of the current limit and that is why one of the other strands of our strategy is important - namely, targeted enforcement. In order to deliver this element... it is necessary to remove restrictions which control when police can administer a breath test. The present restrictions are now preventing us from targeting the persistent drunk driver or those locations to which they resort."

In her reply, Baroness Castle referred to the intense opposition aroused by the Act. She became public enemy number one for the licensed trade and its customers. There was a huge sense of outrage with some people believing that the 80mg. legal limit and the breathalyser interfered with human rights and were an infringement of civil liberties.

Baroness Castle said that she was delighted by the turnaround in public opinion and, in particular, by changed attitudes among publicans. She referred to The Licensee, the newspaper of the licensed trade, which had marked the 30th anniversary of the breathalyser with an article and an interview with herself. The article stated that the breathalyser had come to be accepted by both licensees and their customers. Not only that, but "Pubs have more reason to thank the introduction of the breath test than they have to criticise it, for it forced pub owners and individual licensees to reconsider the future role of their outlets and, in particular, that new role has meant a focus on food."

The event was a well-deserved tribute to the courage of Barbara Castle and an Act which has contributed to the saving of probably more than 60,000 lives.

The last word is best left to Lady Castle herself. In her autobiography Fighting All The Way she says, "As I had anticipated, the breathalyser, when it was finally launched in 1967, caused a stir throughout the land. My postbag was full of abusive letters, usually anonymous. One...showed a dagger dripping with blood over the words: 'We'll get you yet, you old cow.' Other letters were more conciliatory. One of then gave me an interesting insight into the mentality of the British male. It was from a woman who wrote, 'Thank you for giving my husband back to me. He used to leave me at home when he went to the pub, now he takes me with him to drive him home.' " Then there was the small boy who was asked by his teacher to name the patron saint of travellers. "Barbara Castle," he wrote.

...and finally remember
none for the road...

This year's £3 million Christmas drink drive campaign is aimed

particularly at young and middle-aged men who are confident they can "hold their drink". In it, drivers are warned not to accept even one social drink when driving over Christmas.

Ministers are concerned that the number of drink-driving deaths has not declined recently, having remained at the same level for three years. More than ten people die in drink-related motor accidents weekly in this country.

The campaign follows Transport Minister Gavin Strang's announcement that he is considering avariety of measures to reduce alcohol-related deaths on the road such as allowing police to target the car parks of pubs and restaurants. He plans to release a consultation paper in the new year on the lowering of the drink-driving limit (Alert passim).

Implying that the present limit is indefensibly high, a spokesman for the Department of Transport, Environment, and the Regions (DTER) said, "We will emphasise that there is the legal limit, and then there is...

...the common sense limit - which is nothing."