Revellers face breath test before driving
Published Date:
15 May 2008
By Susan Bell
FRANCE is to bring in mandatory breathalyser tests in clubs and late-night bars after a deadly holiday weekend in which 19 people were killed in seven road accidents, several of them alcohol-related.
In last weekend's deadliest accident, four people aged from 15 to 26 were killed when their car went off the road near Forbach, in the east of France, after the driver hit a signpost. Police said the driver, 36, who survived, had admitted drinking and smoking cannabis.
Last year, 4,615 people were killed in French road accidents – the equivalent of 13 fatalities a day – and the authorities say alcohol is the leading cause.
The move to introduce breathalyser tests, announced by Jean-Louis Borloo, the environment minister, means some 45,000 establishments, including 3,000 clubs, will need new equipment in their premises.
Mr Borloo said trials had been conducted at 350 cafés in Brittany, a region known for its heavy drinking, and he hoped to bring in the scheme nationwide by the summer.
Bernard Quartier, president of the National Federation of Cafés, Brasseries and Discotheques, described the decree as "ridiculous", adding:
"It is unreasonable, because figures show most alcohol consumed in France is actually bought in shops and supermarkets."
The full article contains 213 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
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Last Updated:
14 May 2008 10:05 PM
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Source:
The Scotsman
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Location:
Edinburgh
