RoSPA is urging the Governments in England and Wales to consider lowering the drink drive limit after publishing a response to the proposal to do so in Scotland.
The Scottish Government’s consultation paper suggests that a lower limit could save 17 lives a year on Scotland’s roads and it has been estimated that a 50mg limit would save between 77 and 168 lives each year in England and Wales.
The consultation paper also suggests that drivers who have alcohol levels between 50mg and 80mg are two to two-and-a-half times more likely to be involved in an accident than drivers with no alcohol – and up to six times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash.
Tom Mullarkey, RoSPA’s chief executive, said: “We urge England and Wales to follow the progress that Scotland and Northern Ireland are making in a bid to save more lives across the UK.
“There is conclusive evidence that reducing the drink drive limit will significantly reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.
“It’s important to remember, however, that any change in the law would have to be accompanied by a campaign to ensure the public understood how a lower limit might affect their lifestyle.”
For more information contact Michael Corley/Alison Brinkworth on 0121 248 2135/2134.
0.08 should be maintained as it is at this level that it is beyond reasonable doubt that driving safety is degraded. Going down to 0.05 (as we have had in Victoria for decades) only increases the chance that responsible drivers will be unreasonably harassed and/or may lose their licences.
John Lambert, Victoria, Australia
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Isn’t this another chance to re-open the North Report and look adopt those sensible, well-argued recommendations?
David Northampton
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