None for the road is best – charity

A ROAD safety charity is calling on drivers to not touch a drop of alcohol during the festive season if they are driving.

Charity Brake is calling on motorists to stay completely sober if they are the designated driver, or to make plans to get home by taxi or public transport.

Brake is renewing the calls for a zero tolerance drink-drive limit of 20mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, in line with evidence, they say, that indicates that just one drink dramatically increases the risk of crashing – sending a clear message that it should be “none for the road”.

The calls from Brake come on the back of a recent survey by Brake and Direct Line which showed that more than threequarters of drivers thought the current drink-drive limit was too high.

The Scottish Government introduced a lower limit of 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in December 2014, while the rest of the UK still retains an 80mg limit – higher than all other EU countries except Malta.

Gary Rae, campaigns director for Brake, said: “As a charity that supports bereaved and injured road crash victims, we witness the suffering that drink and drug driving inflict, and appeal to everyone to help put a stop to it.

“We support the message put out by the Scottish Government and think it applies to the whole of the UK. If you’re driving home from celebrations this festive season, it’s vital you take your responsibility for people’s safety seriously, and stay completely off booze and drugs.”