RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

January 7, 2004
DRINK-DRIVE PROBLEMS WILL RISE UNLESS GOVERNMENT ACTS

The UK’s drink-drive problems will continue to grow unless the Government agrees to cut the current alcohol limit, RoSPA said today as figures for the festive period showed another increase in the proportion of drivers testing positive after crashes.

Kevin Clinton, Head of Road Safety for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: “The proportion of people testing positive over the Christmas and New Year period is now back to what it was six years ago and the number of people killed in drink drive accidents annually has also increased.

“There will be no improvement in this dreadful situation unless the Government accepts that the drink-drive limit should be lowered from 80mg to 50mg and the police are given powers to breath test motorists anywhere and at anytime.

“People are dying needlessly and we must do something to kick-start the campaign again. Cutting the limit is the best answer.

“The Government’s own figures showed that a reduction in the limit could save 50 lives and prevent 250 serious injuries and 1,200 slight injuries each year. At levels between 50mg and 80mg drivers are 2 – 4 times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than drivers with no alcohol. We are now one of only four countries out of 15 in the EU with a level above 50mg. It is time for the Government to act.

“While people believe it is still acceptable to drink up to the limit our problems will continue to grow.”

Figures for England, Wales and Northern Ireland show that nearly nine per cent of drivers tested after collisions during the Christmas and New Year period failed a breath test – the highest since 1997/1998. Scottish police yesterday announced an increase in the number of motorists failing or refusing a breath test over the festive period. The estimated number of people killed in drink-related accidents in Great Britain went up from 530 in 2001 to 560 in 2002. Figures for people injured in drink-drive accidents are also on the rise.

RoSPA believes education campaigns about the dangers of drinking and driving must continue alongside rehabilitation courses for offenders.