EU Backs Future Role for Alcohol Interlocks

Two new EU reports support measures to boost the use of alcohol interlocks in passenger and goods vehicles in the EU. The study that was by TRT (an Italian consultancy) for the European Parliament (EP) even goes as far as recommending legislation.

It says proposals to ensure the statutory use of alcohol interlocks for convicted drink drivers should be put forward within the next five years and that they could make a “relatively important contribution" to the achievement of the EU’s target to halve road deaths by 2020”, by preventing aproximately 6500 deaths caused anually by drink driving in europe.

.Other studies have already shown that the use of alcohol interlocks are extemely effective in cutting repeat drink driving offences. One of these, a Finnish report that was published last year (based on four years of data) showed a re-offending rate of 6% when interlocks were used compared to the usual 30% rate in Finland.

The EP study paints a mixed picture of the use of the technology as a preventative measure in commercial vehicles, the study suggests that mandatory use might offer a near-break-even cost-benefit ratio when used on buses and lorries, although ut says that the same is not true for vans.

The other report by a Dutch research consortium for the European Commission (EC), however, says that compulsory installation in all new commercial vehicles does have a positive cost-benefit ratio, but warns of a wide sensitivity range in its analysis and lack of "stakeholder support".

The issue of cost is a major theme in both reports, though the EC study points out that innovation could be key to mass adoption of the technology especially if in future the devices would become less intrusive and costs came down due to economies of scale in production or technological development the option of making an alcohol interlock a compulsory device in all passenger cars could show a “robust net benefit to society”.

The EP report recommends legislation to harmonise Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limits, reporting procedures and the definition of drink driving across the EU.

Antonio Avenoso, executive director of ETSC, said: “While we agree with many of the suggestions in these reports, both miss the big picture. The fact is that bold EU legislation would, in itself, drive innovation and cost reduction in the market for these devices. “If, for example, the EU made installation mandatory in all commercial vehicles and required their use for all drink driving offenders, then we would see a rush of innovation and new players entering the market to deliver reliable, unobtrusive devices at low cost. We know that alcohol interlock devices work because we have evidence from several EU countries that show reduced re-offending rates. We hope the new Commission and Parliament will take a bolder approach to the deadly, and completely avoidable, problem of drink driving.”