RoSPA Drinking and Driving Policy Paper 2007

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
Drinking and Driving Policy Paper
Updated May 2007
4. REDUCING DRINK-DRIVING
The significant reductions in the number of people drinking and driving that were
achieved throughout the 1980s and most of the 1990s appear to have slowed down or
stopped, and may be reversing.
Therefore, a new package of measures to reduce drinking and driving is needed. This
should include a range of education and enforcement measures and legal sanctions
to discourage and prevent people from drinking and driving.
Lower the Legal Limit to 50mg/100ml
The original maximum blood alcohol limit of 80mg/100ml was based on research 7
which showed that virtually all drivers would be impaired at and above that level.
However, there was evidence that many drivers were impaired at much lower levels of
alcohol, but in 1967 the limit in Britain was set at 80mg/100ml for pragmatic reasons
taking into consideration public attitudes at the time. 8 Since the original limit was set, a
considerable amount of national and international research has been conducted, and
there can be little doubt that most drivers are impaired at a blood alcohol level of
50mg. At levels between 50mg and 80 mg drivers are 2 – 2.5 times more likely to be
involved in a fatal accident than drivers with no alcohol, and young drivers are up to 5
times more likely to be involved in a crash. 8
About 80 road users per year are killed in accidents where at least one driver or
motorcyclist had a blood alcohol level between 50 and 80mg. The Government’s
Road Safety Strategy 9 estimated that reducing the limit to 50mg would save 50 lives,
and prevent 250 serious injuries and 1,200 slight injuries each year. A more recent
examination of the figures by PACTS suggests that reducing the legal limit would
save 65 lives each year and prevent 230 serious injuries. 10
In the Road Safety Strategy 9 , the Government stated that it was waiting for a
European Directive on a harmonised limit in Europe. The European Commission in
January 2001 advised Britain to reduce the maximum limit to 50mg/100ml in line with
most member states. 11 Despite this, the Government decided in April 2002 not to
lower the limit.
A lower limit would not just affect drivers who are between 50mg and 80 mg.
Reviews 12, of the effect of lowering the limit in other countries have shown that it can
be accompanied by a reduction in drinking and driving at much higher levels of
alcohol. A lower limit would send out a general education message and set the tone
for no drinking and driving. However, a lower limit should not be introduced in
isolation, but as part of a wider package of drinking drive measures, including
education and enforcement initiatives.
The call for a lower limit is supported by the Association of Chief Police Officers.
10