The Road Traffic Offenders (Northern Ireland) Order 1996

Prospective

[F1 Reduced disqualification period: alcohol ignition interlock programme orders N.I.

38A.— (1) This Article applies where—

(a) a person is convicted of a relevant drink offence by or before a court,

(b) he has committed another relevant drink offence at any time during the period of 10 years ending with the date of the conviction

(c) the court makes an order under Article 35 but does not make an order under Article 36, and

(d) the period stated by the court as that for which, apart from this Article, he would be disqualified (“the unreduced period”) is not less than 2 years.

(2) In this Article “relevant drink offence” means—

(a) an offence under sub-paragraph (a) of paragraph (1) of Article 14 of the Order of 1995 (causing death or grievous bodily injury by careless driving when unfit to drive through drink) committed when unfit to drive through drink,

(b) an offence under sub-paragraph (b) of that paragraph (causing death by careless driving with excess alcohol),

(c) an offence under sub-paragraph (c) of that paragraph (failing to provide a specimen) where the specimen is required in connection with drink or consumption of alcohol,

(d) an offence under Article 15 of that Order (driving or being in charge when under influence of drink) committed by reason of unfitness through drink,

(e) an offence under Article 16(1) of that Order (driving or being in charge with excess alcohol),

(f) an offence under Article 18(7) of that Order (failing to provide a specimen) committed in the course of an investigation into an offence within any of the preceding sub-paragraphs, or

(g) an offence under Article 18A(6) of that Order (failing to allow a specimen to be subjected to a laboratory test) in the course of an investigation into an offence within any of the preceding sub-paragraphs.

(3) Where this Article applies, the court may specify a lesser period of disqualification (“the reduced period”) if it also makes an order (an “alcohol ignition interlock programme order”) requiring the offender to comply with the alcohol ignition interlock conditions.

(4) The difference between the unreduced period and the reduced period shall be a period specified in the order of—

(a) not less than 12 months, and

(b) not more than one half of the unreduced period.

(5) If the offender contravenes the alcohol ignition interlock conditions, a further order under Article 35 disqualifying him for the rest of the unreduced period is to be treated as having been made by the court immediately before the contravention.

(6) “The alcohol ignition interlock conditions” are that the offender—

(a) must participate fully in an approved alcohol ignition interlock programme specified in the order during such part of the unreduced period as is so specified, an

(b) during the part of that period following the reduced period, must not drive a motor vehicle unless it is fitted with an alcohol ignition interlock in good working order and must not drive a motor vehicle which is so fitted when not using the alcohol ignition interlock properly.

(7) A court shall not make an alcohol ignition interlock programme order in the case of an offender unless—

(a) the court is satisfied that a place on the approved alcohol ignition interlock programme specified in the order will be available for the offender,

(b) the offender appears to the court to be of or over the age of 17,

(c) the court has informed the offender (orally or in writing and in ordinary language) of the effect of the order and the amount of the fees which he is required to pay for the programme and when he must pay them, and

(d) the offender has agreed that the order should be made.

(8) For the purposes of this Article an “approved alcohol ignition interlock programme” is a programme approved by the Department and involving the provision of an alcohol ignition interlock for use by the offender, training in its use and other education and counselling relating to the consumption of alcohol and driving.

(9) For the purposes of this Article “alcohol ignition interlock” means a device—

(a) of a type approved by the Department, and

(b) designed to be fitted to a motor vehicle with the purpose of preventing the driving of the vehicle by a person who does not, both before starting driving the vehicle and at regular intervals while driving it, provide specimens of breath in which the proportion of alcohol is likely not to exceed the limit specified in paragraph (10).

(10) That limit is 9 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath or such other proportion of alcohol to breath as the Department may by regulations prescribe.

(11) For the purposes of this Article an offender uses an alcohol ignition interlock properly if (and only if) he is complying with all the instructions given to him about its use as part of the approved alcohol ignition interlock programme.

(12) Where an alcohol ignition interlock is fitted to a motor vehicle as part of an approved alcohol ignition interlock programme relating to an offender, a person commits an offence if—

(a) he interferes with the alcohol ignition interlock with intent to cause it not to function or not to function properly, or

(b) he is a person other than the offender and provides or attempts to provide a specimen of breath for the purposes of the alcohol ignition interlock with intent to enable the driving (or continued driving) of the vehicle by the offender]

F1 Arts. 38A-38E inserted (prosp.) by Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 (S.I. 2008/1216 (N.I. 1)), arts. 1(4), 60(1) (with art. 61)