Total drink driving ban comes into force

The lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, passed a bill to ban drink driving on July 2. It was signed into law by President Dmitry Medvedev on July 23.

The new zero tolerance law forbids motorists from touching a drop of alcohol before sitting behind the wheel.

Earlier, motorists were allowed the equivalent of a half-pint of beer.

But critics say "idiot drivers" and bad roads are the main cause of accidents in Russia and that innocent drivers could be penalized by the new law since beverages containing small amounts of alcohol such as dairy products made from fermented milk (buttermilk) and bread-based kvass are popular beverages in Russia and are detected by breathalyzer tests. Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version.