Should the UK lower the national drink-drive limit?
17th Jul, 2024
It’s a surprisingly controversial question – and one that’s got nothing to do with the recent Euros tournament, we assure you! As we mentioned recently, if you’re driving, the safest thing to do is to not have any drinks at all. The tricky thing about is that different people have different tolerances, and what’s a relatively trivial amount of alcohol for Person A could easily be enough to send Person B into officially-dangerous levels of intoxication – possibly even enough to scrap their car.
Of course, that’s why we have an upper ceiling in the form of a universal legal drink-drive limit. However, according to the British Medical Association, the trade union and professional body for doctors and medical students in the UK, that upper limit is long overdue for a change. Here’s what they’re proposing – and why!
Why does the BMA want to lower the UK’s drink-drive limit?
In a nutshell: because it’s a significant factor in way too many deaths on British roads. Researchers from the BMA have pointed out that fatalities and collisions caused by driving under the influence of alcohol have not decreased in the last decade, and today, almost one fifth of all road deaths in the UK are caused by drunk drivers. What’s more, drivers at the current legal limit are six times more likely to be killed in a collision compared to sober drivers.
In response, the BMA has proposed that the government lower the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit to 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood (0.05%) for most drivers and to 20 milligrams for new and commercial drivers.
This is down from the current BAC limit of 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, originally established all the way back in 1967. It’s notable for being one of the highest in Europe – an especially significant fact when compared to the policies of some European countries like Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, all of whom have adopted a zero-tolerance policy on drinking and driving. This proposed reduction aims to bring the UK more in line with many other European nations, and significantly improve road safety.
What’s been the reaction?
As you can imagine, the policy will have its individual detractors, but it’s worth noting that at least 17 organisations have endorsed the BMA’s recommendations. These include the Alcohol Health Alliance, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, the road safety charity Brake, and IAM Roadsmart.
There isn’t any data from public-facing studies or surveys that have been made available just yet, but there may not be hugely strong opposition. Historically, surveys and studies often show strong public support for stricter drink-driving regulations – after Scotland lowered its own drink-drive limit in 2015, a public study conducted shortly afterwards found that 70% of the respondents supported a similar reduction in the limit for the rest of the UK.
It’s yet to formally become legislation yet though, so we’ll have to see how it goes! And if you’re ever worried about it, it’s always worth reiterating – if you’re concerned, it’s best to just not have anything at all.
Legal advice isn’t usually our forte – we’ll stick to doing what we do best here at Scrap Car Network, and that’s getting you the very best price on your car. All you need to do is enter a few details into our homepage, and we’ll provide you with an instant online quote! Curious to see how much your car is worth?
