Keeping our roads safe this Christmas

With the festive period fast approaching there will no doubt be extensive coverage in the press of the annual campaign warning motorists against drinking and driving at this time of year. It is a message that is repeated all year round, but is one whose importance does not diminish. Getting behind the wheel of a car after drinking puts your life and the lives of others at serious risk.

Road fatalities in Scotland are at their lowest in 60 years, but the fact is that even a single death on our roads is one too many. This year’s campaign is taking a tougher approach than ever before, and motorists who drink and drive will face losing their car as well as the severe consequences that are already in place.

This tough approach is an important deterrent and is vital if we are to stop the irresponsible minority of motorists who continue to gamble with their lives and the lives of others. One in nine deaths on Scotland’s roads are caused by drivers who were over the legal limit and although progress is being made, more needs to be done to tackle this problem.

The Scottish Government wants to go further in our efforts to make Scotland’s roads safer for everyone by reducing the current drink drive limit to 50mg per 100ml of blood with random roadside tests. When the limit was cut to this level in Switzerland, alcohol related deaths on their roads fell by 44% in the first two years. However the power to do this, and consequently save more lives, is currently reserved to Westminster.

The Calman Commission’s report, the unionist parties’ proposals for increasing the powers of the Scottish Parliament, recommended that power over this should be devolved to Holyrood and the Scottish Government moved quickly to draft the necessary orders to make transfer of this and other recommended powers possible. Yet the UK Government has failed to play its part and has instead refused to consider the transfer of any powers before the coming general election.

This is unacceptable and in the case of powers over drink driving limits and airguns, where tougher measures could be implemented in Scotland, lives are being put at risk by this inaction. Although the Scottish Government will continue to press Westminster to make the changes we want to see, the refusal to see the early transfer of powers over powers which all parties agree Holyrood should be responsible for is deeply disappointing.

With Labour having refused to consider increasing the Scottish Parliament’s powers this side of the general election and the Tories ruling it out during the lifetime of the next Westminster parliament, their promises have been revealed to be empty words. There is a consensus in Scotland that Holyrood needs more powers over decisions that affect Scotland and the failure of the London parties on this issue is inexcusable.

Giving carers the support they need

I was delighted to recently attend an event in Turriff marking carers support day, the annual event where the enormous contributions that carers make to our society is recognised. The selfless work that they do is essential to providing the quality of life that many of society’s most vulnerable people deserve.

Many hard-pressed carers are unaware of the benefits that what they do entitles them to, with an estimated £740 million going unclaimed each year. Carers support day is an important opportunity to raise awareness of that support and I hope that more will now claim the help they so clearly deserve.