New laws suspend thousands of drink drivers

• Minister releases new drink-driving statistics ahead of double demerit long weekend

• Almost 9,000 drivers suspended in first year of new drink-drive laws

• Drivers urged to enjoy finals fever without drink-driving

Police and Road Safety Minister Liza Harvey has released new drink-driving statistics as a reminder to West Australians to stay safe on the roads as they prepare to cheer on the Fremantle Dockers in the AFL Grand Final over the Queen's Birthday long weekend.

Mrs Harvey said the statistics showed that almost 9,000 licences had been disqualified on the spot under tough new laws introduced last year.

The new laws mean that a driver's licence is suspended immediately on the roadside when drivers return a blood-alcohol reading at or above 0.08.

Under previous laws, drivers were able to remain on the roads until they had been dealt with by the courts.

"The numbers are a sharp reminder that we want people to enjoy the football and over this long weekend - but we want them to do it safely and stay away from their vehicles if they've been drinking," the Minister said.

"They also show that even with these laws in place, we have too many people climbing behind the wheel when they have been drinking and risking lives on the roads.

"In the first 12 months of the new laws, 8,903 drivers have been caught with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or higher - or refused a test - and have been disqualified on the spot.

"This includes 6,785 drivers suspended for driving at or in excess of  0.08; 1,960 with a reading of 0.15 or above; and 158 suspended for failing to provide breath, blood or urine samples - clearly that's unacceptable."

Mrs Harvey reminded drivers that a double demerit period would come into effect from midnight tonight for the long weekend.

The Minister highlighted the fact that it was now 20 years since the 0.05 BAC limit was introduced in WA, supporting WA Police in their ability to randomly breath test drivers as well as conduct booze bus operations.

She said drinking-driving laws were proven to save lives and prevent accidents.

The WA rate at which people are killed and seriously injured in alcohol related crashes has decreased 79 per cent from a high of 47.7 per 100,000 population in 1993 to 9.8 per population in 2012.

"Most people recognise that drinking and driving increases the chance of having a crash, but it's alarming that alcohol remains a factor in almost a third of crashes in which people are killed and seriously injured on Western Australian roads," Mrs Harvey said.

        Fact File

• The State Government has provided $3.8million from the Road Trauma Trust Account to WA Police to increase their capacity to conduct effective drink driving testing

Minister's office - 6552 5900