A reduction to the drink drive limit and immediate roadside bans for those who fail a breathalyser test have been called for by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster.
Currently drivers who fail a roadside breath test hold their licence until being convicted in court.
But Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster has today backed calls for an interim disqualification to be introduced – removing risk from the roads.
He has also called for the drink drive limit to be reduced from its current level of 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood.
He said: “Reducing the number of people tragically and avoidably killed or seriously injured on our roads is a top priority for me and these two measures would immediately make our roads safer.
“I am calling for more effective legislation, which would enable interim disqualifications for people who fail roadside breath tests.
“This will remove risk from the roads and therefore help reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured, by people who are driving whilst over the lawful limit.
“It is clear to me that we must take robust action against people who have made that decision to get behind the wheel after drinking alcohol or taking drugs. An interim ban would be a swift way of making sure they do not do it again.”
The PCC also added his name to those calling for a reduction in the drink drive limit, saying any amount of alcohol is dangerous.
He added: “I am supporting calls from the British Medical Association to lower the legal blood alcohol limit for driving.
“Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is the cause of scores of deaths and injury on the roads in the West Midlands.
“It is because there is no safe amount of alcohol to consume. The impact of alcohol differs for every person, dependent on gender, weight and the type of drink.
“We need to remove the temptation and guessing game over what is safe. Let’s make it simple: if you are drinking alcohol, don’t drive.”