The Medical Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS) has identified a preferred bidder to provide new breath-testing equipment required to enforce lower drink drive limits.
Under the Road Traffic Act 2010 the blood alcohol limit of 80mg will fall to 50mg and to 20mg for inexperienced motorists and professional drivers, including taxi drivers and hauliers.
The new limits are not yet in force because the testing machines currently used in Garda stations cannot test at these lower levels.
A Department of Transport spokesman said the MBRS was confident the 86 machines would be in place by “late autumn”. When the legislation was published last autumn the then minister for transport Noel Dempsey said the new limited were expected to come into force this September.
Under the Bill, first-time offenders caught with between 50mg and 80mg will receive three penalty points and a €200 fine if they do not challenge the penalties in court.
This is the first time in Irish law that drink-driving has not attracted a driving ban.
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