Drink-drive limit ‘not reducing accidents’

More than half of UK motorists support lowering the drink-drive limit to zero, a new study suggests.

A poll of 2,000 drivers found 54% backed a total ban on having alcohol in your system when on the road. An even higher 84% want to see the limit reduced in order to cut the number of casualties on the country’s roads.

However, the survey by law firm Slater and Gordon also revealed that 38% confessed to getting behind the wheel when they knew or suspected they were not fit to drive.

The findings follow the publication of a report on Wednesday that found the reduced drinkdrive limit in Scotland has had no impact on cutting road accidents.

The Scottish Government cut the legal blood alcohol limit for motorists from 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood to 50 in December 2014.

It argued the change would help save lives and make the country’s roads safer. But academics from Glasgow University who analysed police and alcohol market research data said their “unequivocal” results showed the policy was not having the intended effect of reducing collisions.

Jim Lewsey, professor of medical statistics at Glasgow University’s Institute of Health and Wellbeing, said the “most plausible” explanation for the “surprising” finding was the lower limit in Scotland was not backed up with sufficient police enforcement or media campaigning.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said MSPS had unanimously backed the new drinkdrive limit based on scientific evidence to bring Scotland in line with most European countries.

The latest poll also revealed that just

5% of people knew the recommended number of alcohol units permitted before driving.