SNP moves to lower drink drive limit

The Scottish Government is expected to press ahead with plans to lower the drink driving limit as the results of a consultation on the issue are published today.

The Government wants to lower the blood/alcohol limit of 80mg/100ml to 50mg/100ml and has been seeking views on the proposal.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill will unveil the consultation findings in Edinburgh at an event which will also highlight the harm caused by drink driving.

He will be joined by Dr Dave Caesar, clinical director of emergency medicine at NHS Lothian, and Kathleen Braidwood, road safety officer for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents in Scotland.

Saving lives

Plans to lower the limit have been cautiously welcomed by road safety campaigners, as a zero-tolerance approach is their ultimate aim. The charity Brake described the proposal as “a step in the right direction”.

Powers to set drink-driving limits are among those transferred from Westminster to Holyrood under the Scotland Act (2010-12).

Lowering the limit to 50mg would bring Scotland in line with other European countries such as Germany, France and Spain.

Speaking when the plans were announced, Mr MacAskill said the Government “strongly believes that reducing the drink-driving limit will save lives, and evidence from across Europe shows that alcohol-related road deaths drop dramatically where the limit has been reduced”.