Britons back tougher drink driving limit

The majority of the British public support lowering the legal drink drive limit to bring England and Wales in line with the rest of the EU, research suggests.

Research suggests 77% of Britons support lowering the legal drink driving limit in England and Wales

Polling data from the Alcohol Health Alliance UK showed 77% of the British public are in favour of reducing the current legal drink drive limit.

The drink drive limit is the number of milligrams (mg) of alcohol per 100ml of blood, which is currently capped at 80mg per 100ml of blood – the highest legal limit in the EU.

Alcohol Health Alliance published the data the same day the House of Lords was due to debate a Private Members Bill to lower the legal limit last week.

“Studies consistently show that reducing the drink driving limit clearly reduces the risk of road traffic collisions by changing the behaviour of those likely to drink and drive,” said professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance.

“The North Review of drink driving law, NICE, the World Health Organisation and countless others recommend we lower the limit to 50mg/100ml, and it is now time that parliament votes to lower it.”

Scotland reduced its legal drink drive limit to 50mg/100ml in 2014, which more than halved the number of drink drivers by January 2015.

Simon Richardson MBE, double gold and silver medal winning cyclist in the 2008 Beijin Paralympic Games, has been hit twice by drunk drivers and consequently retired from the sport.

“In 2011 a drink driver almost killed me,” he said. “Two hundred and forty other people weren’t so ‘lucky’.

“I lived but my health was destroyed as well as my dreams of competing at the London 2012 paralympic games.

“As a previous Paralympic twin gold medal winner and cycling world record holder I should have been part of the 2012 success story.

“My daily plan does not register as one of the annual drink drive fatality statistics that has refused to fall since 2010.”