Reduce ‘scandalous’ drink drive limit, doctors urge

British Medical Association says drink driving limit is ‘behind the times’ and is no longer based on evidence

England’s “scandalous” drink driving limit is “behind the times” and should be tightened so motorists can no longer get behind the wheel after having a pint of beer or glass of wine, doctors have said.

Police advise against any drinking before driving but the law in England and Wales, set in 1967, states that the legal limit is 80mg per 100ml of blood - equivalent to one or two drinks.

This is the highest in Europe and above Germany and France, where the limit is 50mg - about a small glass of wine.

In Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic the limit is 0.

The British Medical Association on Tuesday passed a motion to lobby the government to bring the limit into line with other European countries and Scotland, where it was lowered to 40mg in 2014.

Driving at the 80mg limit increases the risk of having a car crash by nearly three-fold compared with being sober, previous research has shown.

Australia and New Zealand also have a limit of 50mg.

“I wish to see the harm of alcohol on our patients reduced,” Sir Ian Gilmore, BMA president, said. “It’s scandalous that two countries in Europe have a level of 80mg: Malta and the UK.”

He added: “The level to which we reduce it is, I think, up for debate. My preference is to go down to 20 mg per 100ml, as many countries such as Scandinavian ones have already.

“It allows for almost zero tolerance but takes account of a pretty strong aftershave that morning.”

Critics, pointing to data from Scotland, claimed lowering the limit would not reduce road traffic accidents and harm the pub industry, particularly in the countryside.

Christopher Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: “Scotland lowered the drink driving limit several years ago. It was predicted to reduce traffic accidents and road deaths but subsequent evaluations showed that it did nothing but damage the pub trade.

Proposing the motion, Dr Simon Minkoff, a GP from Manchester, said: “The 80mg limit is associated with a 2.7 times increased risk of collision. Our law is behind the times.

“It’s no longer evidence based. And it exposes society to too much unnecessary risk. Society has moved on and so should our response.”

Drivers who are found to be over the limit can face a maximum penalty of six years in jail, an unlimited fine and a ban of at least one year.

Some 220 deaths and 6,480 casualties on UK roads last year were caused by drink driving, according to government data.