Drink drivers working the system to be back on our roads Each year, alcohol contributes to more than a fifth of road deaths. EVERY day seven drink drivers find their way back on to Queensland roads with work licenses - half of them less than two months after being caught over the limit. Between January 1 and December 17, 2760 work licenses were issued across the state, 90 per cent within three months and about half within six weeks. Road safety advocates described the flood of special exceptions as "disgusting," saying it sends the wrong message. People convicted of "low- or mid-range" drink driving can be granted a restricted work license - provided they were not over 0.15 per cent and haven't been suspended or disqualified during the previous five years. Drink drivers of heavy vehicles or one "directly connected with their means of earning a living" are excluded. During the 2012/13 financial year, police carried out more than 3.5 million random breath tests, catching about 25,000 drink driving offences. Queensland courts enforce minimum disqualification periods for drink driving, which take into account whether the driver is a first time or repeat offender and the driver's Blood Alcohol Content level. Citizens Against Road Slaughter spokeswoman Bobbie Henry described the frequency of the issuing of work licenses as "pretty disgusting," adding that it was "basically saying that it's OK to drink and drive." "It's making a mockery of our legal system, to be quite honest," she said. If you really care about your career and your livelihood and your family, you shouldn't be drinking and driving anyway. Ms Henry said the courts were sending the wrong message to drivers of all ages by handing out work licenses. "They've intentionally gone out to drink and drive and didn't care about the end result," she said. Unfortunately, the courts are to be blamed for that because they have made it so easy to get work licenses. Courts can impose special restrictions on work licenses, such as limiting driving between certain hours and only on direct routes to workplaces. In 2009, the scheme was reviewed with no changes to the current system. The WA government plans to combat drink-driving by making repeat offenders fit breath-testing immobilisers to their cars.