"We're not encouraging drunken cyclists!"
In future drunken cyclists no longer have to fear having to hand in their driving licence. Until now each year some 200 cyclists caught with over 1.5 per mille alcohol content in their blood were obliged to hand in their licence often with far-reaching ramifications for their private life and their job. The law is now being changed to stop this happening.
Design Pics / Ian Cumming
Lawmaker Sabien Lahaye-Battheu denies that the bill that she tabled is intended to encourage drunkenness in public places, but she does believe that any punishment should be proportionate. Today drunken cyclists with over 1.5 per mille alcohol in their blood get their day in court and automatically receive a temporary driving ban.
Sabien Lahaye-Battheu: "It's often drunken students who get the automatic month's driving ban and more often than not they don't even have a licence. This shows how illogical our legislation is!"
Drunken cyclists won't get off scot-free: they will still be fiend and judges will be able to impose a driving ban if they so wish.