Doctors name for drink-drive restrict discount to ONE beer or small wine

Doctors will campaign for the next government to reduce the drink-driving limit to the equivalent of just one beer.

Current drink-driving limits in England are the highest in Europe at 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

However, the British Medical Assocation (BMA) – the trade union for doctors – want the limit to be decreased to 50mg and just 20mg for new drivers.

Motorists would only be allowed the equivalent of one small glass of wine or beer under the new proposals supported by the Alcohol Health Alliance, road-safety charity Brake and the Institute of Alcohol Studies. 

In its statement, the BMA said drivers at the current limit are six times more likely to be killed in a collision than sober, experienced motorists.

Current drink-driving limits in England are the highest in Europe at 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood but the British Medical Association wants the limit to be decreased to 50mg and just 20mg for new drivers

The BMA said drivers at the current limit are six times more likely to be killed in a collision than sober, experienced motorists

It also suggested mandatory health-risk warning labels on alcohol and improving the awareness of the effects of drink-driving to improve road safety.

Carrie Reidinger, population health policy advice and research officer at the BMA, told The Times: ‘We think it’s really important to call on the Government to lower the legal limit. 

‘This is in line with the approach taken by many European countries such as Ireland and Greece.’

She also called for greater enforcement of new measures, including more funding for the police, expanded drug testing for road traffic officers and new public education campaigns.

Current penalties include a possible driving ban, six- months imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

After Scotland decreased its limit to 50mg in 2014, researchers described the move as failing to have any real impact on the number of road accidents.

Across Europe, nowhere other than England, Wales and Northern Ireland has a drink-driving limit of more than 50mg per 100ml of blood

Christopher Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: ‘Drink-driving accidents typically involve people who are well over the limit, and they will only be deterred by proper enforcement of the law, not by tinkering with the existing limit.’

Across Europe, nowhere other than England, Wales and Northern Ireland has a drink-driving limit of more than 50mg per 100ml of blood.

In Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic the legal limit is zero.

About 260 people were killed in drink-drive collisions in 2021, according to the Department for Transport – the highest total since 2009, despite a backdrop of Covid-related restrictions being lifted, increasing the volume of cars in use.

These crashes accounted for 17 per cent of all road deaths.