Drink-drive limit ‘should be SLASHED’ say drivers on 50th anniversary of booze laws
BRITISH drivers are calling for the drink-drive limit to be lowered to match the rest of Europe, according to a new study.
UK drivers support being able to drink less before getting behind the wheel, with some even demanding a reduction of 75 per cent.
Following the marking of 50 years since drink-drive law and roadside breath tests came into force, the RAC conducted a survey to see how many UK motorists want to lower the limit.
The RAC's report found that three in five voted in favour of a reduction on the current limit.
At present, drivers in England and Wales are permitted to give a reading up to 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood - a measurement which hasn't changed since the laws were developed in 1967.
And while just under 60 per cent of participants to the survey said they would like to see the limit reduced to 50mg, an additional 21 per cent went one step further and said we should reduce it to as low as 20mg, as they have done in countries like Sweden and Poland.
Along with Malta, England and Wales are the only nations in Europe to still accept a reading of 80mg, with the overwhelming majority adopting a ruling of 50mg.
Scotland broke away from the rest of the UK in 2014 by reducing their drink-driving limit to 50mg, while Northern Ireland is in the process of following suit.
In the nine months following the introduction of their new limit in December 2014, the number of road accidents in Scotland attributed to alcohol fell by almost 13 per cent, according to data from Police Scotland.
RAC road safety spokesman Pete Williams said: “Fifty years after the drink-drive limit became law, it is time for the Government to move with the times and fall in line with the large sway of other countries which enforce a 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood limit with the aim of cutting the number of accidents that occur due to drivers being under the influence of alcohol.
HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH What is the UK drink driving limit, how many units of alcohol can you have legally and when was the first roadside breath test?
“The benefits of the lower limit in Scotland picture will be clearer when the 2016 reported road casualty data is published later this month, but should a drop in drink-related accidents at the wheel be seen then, this should be evidence enough to trigger a change in the law.
“And, even if it doesn’t, can we really afford not to follow the majority who operate a 50mg limit if there is even the slightest chance that it will lead to fewer lives being lost or ruined?”
