Scottish Government
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Lower drink drive limit a step closer
Justice Committee approves order to cut drink drive alcohol limit.
Plans to introduce a lower drink drive limit for Scotland before the festive period have moved a step closer yesterday.
All members of the Justice Committee have recommended that the Parliament approve an order which will bring the reduced limit into effect on December 5.
This would mean that the blood alcohol limit will be lowered from 80mg in every 100ml of blood to 50mg in every 100ml of blood, bringing Scotland into line with most of Europe.
Three quarters of those who responded to a Scottish Government consultation agreed that the drink drive limit should be reduced.
A multi-media marketing campaign to inform the public of the new lower limit will be launched in the coming weeks.
The Scottish Government does not have the powers to change the penalties for drink driving, this is reserved to the UK Government.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said:
“We are now a step closer to bringing in a lower drink drive limit for Scotland, making our roads safer and saving lives.
“You are six times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident between the present limit and the planned new lower level compared with having no alcohol in your system.
“The latest estimates show around one in 10 deaths on our roads involve drivers over the legal limit.
“This is about changing people’s behaviour. All the evidence from countries such as Ireland show that a lower limit actually reduces the number of convictions, as more people get the message that you should never drink and drive.”
Notes To Editors
Subject to Parliamentary approval, the Road Traffic Act 1988 (Prescribed Limit) (Scotland) Regulations 2014 will come into effect on December 5, 2014. The Order reduces the breath-alcohol limit from 35mcg/100ml breath to 22mcg/100ml breath.
In 2010, the last full year in which the higher drink drive limit of 80mg/100ml was in effect in the Republic of Ireland, there were 12,602 convictions for drink driving. The lower limit came into effect on 28 October 2011. In 2011, there were 10,575 convictions for drink driving. And in the 12 months from 28 October 2011 to 27 October 2012, there were 9,771 convictions for drink driving.
The Scottish Government announced in March 2013 the intention to reduce the limit following consultation, which found almost three quarters of respondents supported the reduction in the drink drive limit: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2013/03/drinkdriving21032013)
Road casualty statistics are based on averages for 2008 to 2012 and were published in Report Road Casualties Scotland 2013 on 22nd October 2014. http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/statistics/reported-road-casualties-scotland-all-editions
Research on increased relative risk from NICE report, Review of effectiveness of laws limiting blood alcohol concentration levels to reduce alcohol-related road injuries and deaths, 2010.http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100921035225/http:/www.nice.org.uk/media/3FE/1A/BloodA
