03/12/2009

Drink Driving Limit To Be Reviewed

At the same time as the UK Government launched its £1.2m Christmas anti-drink-drive campaign it has also asked legal expert, Sir John North, to examine the legal drink-driving limit.

The current limit is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood but there has been support for a lowering of the limit to 50 milligrams.

Drink and drug-driving was one of the top three issues of concern in a survey of 15,000 AA members last month and two out of every three of those asked said they supported a lowering of the drink-drive limit.

The motoring organisation's President, Edmund King, said: "We welcome the fact that the government will seek a fresh look at the legal complexities surrounding drink- and drug-driving."

Drink-driving killed 430 people last year, and research suggests drug-driving should also be a key concern for the public.

The RAC who have backed the announcement to review the law concerning drink driving said: "Drug-driving has been a growing problem in recent years and clarifying the punishment for this offence should help lower the number of road accidents and deaths involving them.

"Similarly, lowering the drink-drive limit to 50 milligrams should help further reduce the number of deaths on our roads."

Sir Peter North will give a report of his independent research to Transport Secretary Lord Adonis before April.

(LB/BMcC)

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