Friday, 6 May 2011

CrossRoads is delighted with the new drink driving laws that were passed in Parliament yesterday. The changes are significant and will make a real difference to the safety of New Zealand road users.

The group said the Government is to be congratulated. Several families who had lost family members to repeat impaired drivers approached the Ministers of Transport, Police and Justice about two years ago. They express their gratitude and offer congratulations for the improvements that have been made.

“These are progressive improvements. We are particularly pleased with the introduction of alcohol interlocking devices, the doubling of the penalty for impaired driving causing death (from five to 10 years) and,especially, the zero-tolerance BAC for repeat offenders,” says Ursula Keogh, member of CrossRoads.

The Keogh family from Dunedin lost their son, Jonathan, almost five years ago on Mother’s day 2006. Jonathan was driving from Dunedin to Christchurch when a repeat drunk driver crossed the centre line at great speed. Jonathan’s mother, Ursula Keogh, said she took heart from the new laws. The offender, David Cashman, was almost twice the legal limit and spent two years in prison for causing Jonathan’s death.

“This is the best Mother’s day present we could have hoped for. We hope that no family has to go through what Jonathan, and our family, went through. But is heartening to know that we have a government that not only listens to the public, it also has the courage to make significant and sensible changes,” says Mrs Keogh.

ENDS

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