"Safety" proposals

Once again our glorious leaders in Westminster have put forwards proposals to protect us from ourselves. Details, here.

What was that? I don't sound impressed?

You'd be right. Lets look at a few...

Police would no longer need to suspect that an offence has been committed in order to stop and breath-test a driver. Breath specimens taken at the roadside would become admissible as primary evidence in court, removing the need to carry out additional tests at a police station. Drivers would lose the right to demand a blood test.

This sounds like a good thing, right? No more driving while intoxicated? Well....no.

What a roadside breathalyzer is the truly tiny amount of alcohol present in the air you breath out. This alcohol seeps out of your blood in the lungs to the air in them at a very slow rate. We're talking small quantities here people.

Silly things like using mouthwash, hyperventilating, being diabetic, having dentures or simply Being Odd all screw up the numbers involved. Which is why it's not actually illegal to have a high level of alcohol in your breath.

It IS enough to bring you in to a station and take a blood test - actual proof you've broken the law.

So what we have here is the possibility of being pulled over and being convicted of driving under the influence based on an estimate that's unreliable and is supposed to be used as an indicator only.

Oh, and you've lost the right to demand a test that would clear you.

Or lets look at another part.

Offences such as failing to signal or passing too close to a cyclist, which currently would draw a verbal warning, could result in a £60 fine and three penalty points.

Failing to signal. That's a sin, I'd agree.

But to put points on peoples licenses for failing to signal - that's a little harsh. Let's be honest - it's madness.

Signal that you're turning left at a roundabout - where you are turning? That could be a an offense - if you don't know that there's another tiny road. Get to a round about and don't know if it's the first or second turning or say, five? That's an offense.

There's a whole list of situations where signaling - or not - could be misleading, unsafe and downright dangerous.

Right now, a policeman could tell me off - and if it was dangerous driving there is an offense to cover this. An automatic fine and points? Bad idea...

I could go on, but I'm running out of lunch.