Family members of people who lost their lives in crashes at Dubbo have reacted strongly to a proposal that would allow some motorists caught driving over the legal alcohol limit to keep their licences, and others to receive on-the-spot fines.
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Road safety advocate Kevin Saul, whose nine-year-old son Brendan died in a hit-and-run at Dubbo in 2004, was dismayed about any change that might allow drink-drivers to avoid facing court.
“The community has been working hard for 40-odd years to make the act of drink-driving unpalatable and one of disgrace,” he said.
Under a proposal being considered by the NSW government, drink-drivers without previous convictions and those who register blood alcohol levels under .10 would not have to face a magistrate.
Contained within the draft Road Safety Plan 2021, it would bring NSW laws in line with Victoria and direct court resources towards the most serious offenders.
Also identified were initiatives to "increase the offenders required to install interlock devices and attend proven behaviour change programs, in coordination with other penalties such as vehicle sanctions".
"Currently, half of all low range drink driving first offenders in NSW do not receive a conviction or licence disqualification for their first offence," Centre for Road Safety executive director Bernard Carlon said.
Mr Saul, a lecturer in the Traffic Offenders Intervention Program, said attending court actually enforced with most people the “severity of their actions” and helped in the rehabilitation process.
“It [the proposal] actually trivialises the act of driving with above PCA (prescribed concentration of alcohol) offences by creating a fine rather than the current process,” he said.
In a post to the Daily Liberal’s Facebook page Viv Heal told of two family members being killed in a 1970s crash by a drunk driver who also died.
Laws about drink-driving at the time were inadequate, she said.
“I was so pleased when after much lobbying, drink-driving offences were taken more seriously,” she said.
Faye Wheeler
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
