8th July 2010 – The President of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), Paul Mallee, has expressed the Institute’s support for last night’s final Oireachtas approval of the new drink driving legislation and the reduction in the limit for commercial drivers to 20mg/mls.

Mr Mallee said the new legislation was a victory for common sense and that while commercial drivers were statistically less likely to drink drive than ordinary motorists, it was important that an effective zero tolerance approach was adopted given the size and scale of their goods and vehicles.

Mr Mallee commented, “First and foremost I would like to pay tribute to all those who have campaigned in favour of the new lower limit, in particular the Road Safety Authority who have strongly argued that this will help reduce the number of deaths and injuries on our roads.

“As the representative body for professionals involved in the transport and logistics industries in Ireland, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport has a professional and personal interest in improving safety standards on Irish roads and believe a reduction in the drivers’ maximum permitted blood/alcohol content is a vital part of that.

“While professional drivers are statistically less likely to be involved in road traffic accidents, the consequences tend to be tragic when accidents occur given the large loads and size of the vehicles involved. Therefore, the Institute wholeheartedly backs any measure that will help improve overall road safety standards.

“With the Road Traffic Bill having completed its passage through the Oireachtas, I look forward to it being implemented in the coming months.”

ENDS - For more info please contact Ronan Farren, Q4 PR, 01 475 1444 / 087 934 0386

*The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), established in 1919, is a membership based organisation with over 30,000 members in more than 30 countries.  CILT is the independent professional body for those engaged in logistics and all modes of transport, enhancing the professional knowledge and competence of its members through comprehensive training, continuing professional development and certified educational programmes.

www.cilt.ie