Dutch want harsher approach to drunk drivers; 84% want alcohol lock for repeat offenders

The vast majority of Netherlands residents want harsher punishments for alcohol use in traffic. Over eight in ten want to install alcohol locks in the vehicles of repeat offenders. Three-quarters want to implement a zero-tolerance policy for drinking and driving, allowing no alcohol consumption before getting behind the wheel instead of the current two glasses, Ipsos I&O found in a study done for the Victim Support Fund.

Every year, between 75 and 140 people die and thousands are injured in traffic accidents caused by alcohol consumption. The social costs of alcohol-related traffic accidents are between 653 million and 1.4 billion euros per year, according to estimates by the Victim Support Fund.

"It is time to set a clear limit," said Marijke Brouwer of the Victim Support Fund. "With effective measures that are also so widely supported by the Dutch population, we can save lives and make our roads safer. The call for the alcohol lock sends a clear message: alcohol and traffic do not mix. Technological solutions such as these can prevent repeat violations and save a lot of suffering."

84 percent of respondents support the use of an alcohol lock for repeat offenders. The alcohol lock is a device installed in a vehicle. The driver must blow into the lock before starting the car. If any alcohol is detected, the car won’t start.

89 percent of respondents also think that repeat offenders - drivers who commit three serious traffic violations within two years - should lose their licenses. Four in ten think they should be fined, and one in five even supports a prison sentence.

73 percent of Netherlands residents support a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol in traffic. That would completely ban alcohol consumption before driving. Currently, road users are permitted two drinks.

“Don’t see measures such as the alcohol lock as a punishment, but as protection,’ Brouwer said. “By introducing an alcohol lock, society is protected against people who still repeatedly take to the road with too much alcohol in their system. Moreover, the driver himself is protected by this. After all, nobody wants to cause an accident.”