Philip Seccombe, the Warwickshire Police & Crimes Commissioner has added his voice to a call for the Goverment to lower the drink driving limit in England and Wales.
Seccombe has openly supported a campaign by the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS)which is asking the Government to reduce the drink driving limit to mirror those already being enforced in other European countries.
It has been mooted that by reducing the drink driving limit, the amount of road deaths could be lowered by around 10%.
Currently, England and Wales have a drink driving limit of 80mg of alcohol in every 100ml of blood, a limit which has not been changed since 1965.
Scotland reduced its drink driving limit to 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in December 2014 and reported a 12.5% reduction in drink driving associated offences with the first 9 months.
England and Wales currently has the highest drink driving limit in Europe, other than Malta, and Commonwealth countries.
It is of interest to note that Malta has recently announced that it plans to reduce its drink driving limit. Also, Northern Ireland has plans to reduce its drink driving limit by the end of 2016.
Seccombe said: “Evidence from elsewhere in the UK and from across Europe demonstrates that lowering the drink drive limits would lead to significant improvements in road safety and has the potential to save lives. It would also help to reinforce the overall message that drinking and driving is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
“While it is still the case that the best advice is to never drink before getting behind the wheel, the drink-drive limit at present is among the highest in Europe and I think it is time that a law that was set in the 1960s – when public attitudes were very different – should be reviewed by the Government and brought in line with other countries and the rest of the UK.”
About Carl Millar
Carl Millar is a highly respected and experienced drink driving solicitor who is the principal of Millars Solicitors.
Carl has been a specialist in road traffic law for many years and represents clients from all walks of life and all over the Country. He is well known for the dogged defending of his clients and robust cross examination of police officers and exert witnesses.
With a wealth of expertise in motoring law Carl is well placed to provide advice over the phone and deal with all road traffic matters in a calm and professional way.
Getting in contact with Carl and Millars Solicitors is really easy. You can call him FREE on 0800 999 5535, or click here to send a confidential message.
