The Government in the UK faces stepping up pressure to reduce the legal limit of alcohol intake when driving. At the moment it is illegal to operate a vehicle with at 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood which relates to about a pint and a half of medium strength lager for an average sized man. The new proposed limit would bring it down to 50mg per 100ml of blood which is little more than half a pint or a large glass of wine which is in line with the European Union limit.
According to Transport Secretary Lord Adonis, there are more than 400 fatalities each year as a result of drink driving, but this figure does not reflect any incidents where drivers were above the proposed lower limit. He also states drug-driving is a key worry for the public.
The current UK laws mean that anyone found driving over the legal limit faces an automatic 12 month driving ban but there is current investigation by Sir Peter North QC into the possibilities of introducing a second, lower penalty for anyone above the lower limit such as 6 points on a driving licence. Changes could also see prosecutions for drivers found with illegal substances in their bloodstream, regardless of whether it impaired their performance.
The Transport Secretary has proved that over 400 people a year are killed as a result of drink driving but this figure does not reflect any incidents where drivers were above the proposed limit. He also states drug-driving is a key worry for the public.
AA President, Edmund King agreed, “the legal issue is more complex than the limit as a sliding scale of penalties could reduce the deterrent effect. There is a serious problem with drink drive repeat offenders with recent figures suggesting that almost a quarter of drink drivers have served a previous ban.”
The proposal was not met amicably by everyone Tony Payne, chief executive of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations. “We will fight this very very strongly,” he said. “This will penalise responsible people because of the behaviour of some idiots.
Thousands of drivers each year are convicted of a drink driving offence but even more are convicted, with lower penalties, of a speeding offence, something that causes many more fatalities each year.
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