Some very welcome news from Northern Ireland this week: plans were announced to lower their drink drive limit and give police extra powers to carry out random breath tests. It doesn’t go quite as far as we’d like (they’re lowering the limit from 80mg to 50mg, whereas we call for a zero tolerance approach of 20mg), but it’s certainly a very positive step in the right direction, which Brake welcomed. We have long been calling for a much tougher stance on drink driving, which remains one of the biggest killers on our roads, resulting in one in six road deaths.
But while Northern Ireland is implementing policies that aim to stamp out this menace, we’re in a worrying state of inertia in the rest of the UK. Earlier this year central government confirmed that they had no intention to lower the limit or implement random breath testing, despite recommendations from Sir Peter North and parliament’s Transport Select Committee. It therefore remains that we have one of the highest drink drive limits in Europe (only Malta has as high a limit as the UK), preserving the widespread myth that one or two drinks before driving is fine. We need our law changed to reflect the fact that only very small amounts of alcohol have a significant affect on your ability to drive safely, and in light of the appalling suffering that continues to be inflicted on families by drink drivers.
It is true that road casualties are falling rapidly, including drink drive casualties. But while this is wonderful news, meaning fewer families going through trauma and heartbreak, it is at least in part down to the economic climate (according to the government’s annual road casualties report, also out this week). We are increasingly concerned that falling casualties is being used as an excuse to deprioritise road safety, and dismiss evidenced, popular and humane policies such as toughening up drink drive laws.
Read more:
Brake’s reaction to Northern Ireland lowering drink drive limit
Facts on drink driving
Brake’s statement on the government’s annual road casualties report
