Drink-drive limits to be reduced
It could soon be that drivers who risk one for the road will be over the limit if new recommendations from a government-commissioned report are taken on board.
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Sir Peter North, who authored the study, has recommended the current drink-drive limit of 80mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood be reduced to 50 mg. Although he claims that this is equivalent to one drink, for some people, women especially, a large wine or a strong pint of beer could take you over the limit.
Sir North said: "What I think you will be able to do is to go out to the pub for a drink, a pint of beer, a glass of wine. It's not that you won't be able to have a pint ... it's a balance."
He recommended 51 measures in total such as more random breathalyser tests, a lower limit for learner drivers, lifetime driving bans for repeat offenders and ways to tackle drug-driving. One measure that may leave drivers angry is to stop giving a second alcohol test if the breathalyser result is borderline.
Currently motorists whose breathalyser result is close to the limit may ask for a second test which will use blood or urine. The time is takes to get the second test allows the motorist's blood alcohol levels to decrease therefore not resulting in a conviction.
North claimed that up to 200 lives could be saved from road accidents in the first year of introducing these new measures.
However, his report was commissioned under the Labour Government and the new coalition government may not necessarily enforce all of Sir North's ideas.
The new Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said: "Sir Peter's report is a serious piece of work that covers a wide range of issues.
"Our priority will be to tackle drink and drug-driving in the most effective way possible to protect law-abiding road users. We will respond to Sir Peter in due course."
Do you think Sir North's recommendations should be put into practice or are they too strict on motorists? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
