Drink Driving Alcohol Limit Could be Cut by UK Government

Blood alcohol limit to be lowered by almost half under new plans

According to a story in the Daily Telegraph, the new coalition government is studying a proposal made by a commission reviewing drink driving laws to lower the legal alcohol limit for drivers from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood down to 50mg. If the changes are made it would be the first major change to drink-driving regulations since the introduction of the breathalyser test 40 years ago.

There were several other proposals put forward in the review, undertaken by road safety adviser Sir Peter North. These proposals included removing the right a driver who fails a roadside breathalyser test has to re-take the test in a nearby police station, as the delay in travelling to a police station can mean that the level of alcohol in the blood drops below the legal limit. Under the proposed scheme, failing a breathalyser test at the roadside would mean an automatic 12-month ban.

Other proposals included the introduction of lifetime bans for high risk offenders, giving police the right to stop motorists at any time in order to breathalyse them and the creation of a new offence of “drug driving” which would cover people driving under the influence of substances other than alcohol. Sir Peter says in the report that there is a persuasive case for cutting the limit and he estimated that tightening up the drink driving laws could save over 150 lives a year in England and Wales.

Claiming compensation after an accident involving a drink-driver

It’s bad enough being hit by another motorist in an accident where you were not at fault. But imagine finding out that the other person was under the influence of alcohol at the time and should never have been driving anyway. Here at Camps Solicitors, we understand that a road accident, particularly one involving a drunk-driver, can leave you with injuries that affect you ability to work, to socialise or even to do many of the tasks that you might previously have taken for granted. This is why we are so determined to get the maximum car accident compensation for our clients – without charging them a penny for our services.