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Drink-drive limit will not be lowered in England
The British government will not lower the drink-drive limit in England following changes to the law in Scotland and New Zealand, road minister Robert Goodwill has confirmed.
MP Robert Goodwill confirmed the drink-drive limit for England will not be lowered
In a statement, the MP said that while tackling drink driving was a priority for the government, “we have no plans to alter the drink-drive limit”.
Last year, the Scottish government lowered the legal limit for drivers from 80mg per 100ml of blood to just 50mg, bringing it to the same level as other European countries such as France, Germany and Italy.
Since introducing the new legal limit, the number of drink drivers in Scotland has more than halved.
New Zealand also lowered its drink-drive limit to the same amount in 2014.
“We are strengthening enforcement by removing the automatic right for drivers who fail a breathalyser test to demand a blood test and also introducing a mobile evidential breath testing equipment next year,” Goodwill said, as reported by the Morning Advertiser.
“High risk offenders are now also required to prove they are no longer alcohol-dependent before being allowed to drive. We have no plans to alter the drink-drive limit.”
Some pubs in Scotland have argued that the new law has had a negative impact on trading performance.