Balance welcomes plans to lower drink drive limit
Balance has welcomed plans to lower the drink drive limit in England and Wales as part of a new national Road Safety Strategy published today.
The government will consult on lowering the drink drive limit in England and Wales, which has remained unchanged since 1967 and is currently the highest in Europe.
Drink driving incidents account for nearly 1 in 5 (17%) deaths on the roads (1) – and latest available Department for Transport road casualty figures (2) show:
- In 2022, between 290 and 320 people were killed in collisions in Great Britain where at least one driver was over the drink-drive limit – the highest reported level in more than a decade
- Overall, an estimated 6,800 people were killed or injured when at least one driver was over the drink-drive limit
Public support for reducing the drink driving limit is overwhelming: polling shows that 77% of people nationally favour lowering the limit (3).
Numerous organisations have also called for this reform, including the British Medical Association, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, road safety charity Brake, the Royal College of Physicians, and many public health organisations.
Ailsa Rutter OBE, Director of Fresh and Balance, said: “Too many people are dying and being injured on our roads because of alcohol. This also places a massive strain on our emergency crews, who have to deal with horrific accidents and tell families that a loved one won’t ever be coming home.
“Lowering the limit won’t prevent every accident but it will provide more clarity and leave less room for people to wrongly believe they can have a couple of drinks and still be OK.
“England’s approach to alcohol and our roads now looks outdated compared to the rest of Europe. Cutting the limit would send a clear message, deter more drivers from getting behind the wheel after a few drinks or the morning after, and support our emergency services who deal with serious crashes on a daily basis.”
She added: “But the problem is wider – alcohol is too cheap, too widely promoted and too available. The Government must pay no heed to the arguments against this by the alcohol industry. We need a new national strategy to tackle all aspects of alcohol harm and look at solutions for its impact on lives, health and public safety.”
Alice Wiseman MBE, Director of Public Health for Gateshead and Newcastle, said: “The Road Traffic Act in 1988 made it an offence to drive under the influence of alcohol and has saved countless lives. However, with drink driving incidents having risen again, urgent action is needed.
“Over the last three decades, alcohol has become increasingly accessible and affordable – all of which have contributed to creating an society where alcohol is normalised and impacting on safety and deaths on our roads.
“We need to think long term to prevent people from experiencing harm in the first place. By having a clear national strategy to reduce alcohol harm, we can begin to turn the tide. We need measures that protect health policy from industry influence and instead take an evidence-based approach which tackles affordability, and marketing alongside decreasing the availability of alcohol.”
Police and Crime Commissioner for Durham and Darlington Joy Allen said:
“Drink and drug driving are among the most dangerous behaviours on our roads. The statistics are stark and the harm is entirely preventable. Driving under the influence puts innocent lives at risk, devastates families and places huge pressure on the police, the NHS and emergency services. This is behaviour society cannot and should not be tolerated.
That is why I welcome moves to lower the drink-drive limit and strengthen action on drug driving. But these measures will only work if they are backed by proper funding for enforcement and education campaigns. Laws alone do not save lives – enforcement and prevention do.”
England and Wales and Northern Ireland (which is currently legislating lower limits) have the highest Blood Alcohol Limits in all of Europe at 80mg/100ml (or 0.08%). But drivers are six times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash if they have 50-80 mg alcohol per 100ml blood, compared to 0ml (4).
When Scotland reduced its limit in 2014, police figures showed an immediate decrease in drink drive offences. It also led to greater anti-drink driving sentiment and more support for the reduction.
References
1: Drink driving in the UK – data from the RAC | RAC Drive
3:Public calls for lower drink drive limit as Lords debate road safety law – Alcohol Health Alliance
4: https://www.bma.org.uk/news-and-opinion/one-drink-dont-drive