AlcoSense gives input to Government Road Safety Strategy Consultation

AlcoSense has submitted a detailed response to the Government’s consultation on a new Road Safety Strategy, calling for tougher action to reduce drink-drive deaths and injuries in England and Wales.

The submission argues that England and Wales are now out of step with the rest of Europe in retaining the current drink-drive limit of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood - the highest legal limit anywhere in Europe.

A central recommendation is that the legal alcohol limit should be reduced. AlcoSense argues that the current limit can create a misleading impression that driving below 80mg is “safe”, despite extensive evidence showing impairment begins well before that level.

The response highlights international research showing that crash risk rises significantly even at relatively low blood alcohol concentrations. It also notes that Scotland reduced its limit to 50mg in 2014, bringing it into line with most European countries.

AlcoSense believes lowering the limit would:

• send a clearer public safety message
• encourage more people to avoid alcohol entirely when driving
• help shift social attitudes around drink driving
• reduce deaths and serious injuries over time

The response also calls for stronger enforcement measures.

These include:

• introducing random breath testing powers for police
• allowing roadside licence suspension for drivers who fail or refuse a breath test
• tougher penalties for serious drink and drug driving offences
• wider use of alcohol interlock devices (“alcolocks”) as part of rehabilitation programmes

The submission argues that deterrence depends not only on legal limits, but also on the perceived likelihood of being caught.

AlcoSense’s response references new polling commissioned by the company which suggests strong public backing for reform.

The survey of 2,000 UK adults found:

• only 12% believe the current 80mg limit should remain unchanged
• 78% support some form of reduction
• 75% support roadside licence suspensions for motorists over the limit
• 70% support random breath testing
• 73% support vehicle seizure powers for drink and drug driving offences

The findings suggest many people now view drink driving primarily as a public safety issue rather than simply a motoring offence.

The response notes that although drink-drive deaths are far lower than in previous decades, progress has slowed in recent years.

Department for Transport figures show there were 260 fatalities in drink-drive collisions in 2023, alongside more than 6,000 injuries.

AlcoSense argues that the current approach may have reached the limits of its effectiveness and that a combination of lower limits, visible enforcement and public education is now required to achieve further reductions in casualties.

A PDF copy of AlcoSense’s full response to the Government consultation can be downloaded here: AlcoSense Laboratories - Drink Drive limit Consultation response.pdf

The government’s consultation to reduce the legal drink-drive limit in England and Wales has been welcomed by road safety campaigners.

The proposals are backed by research showing that even small amounts of alcohol significantly increase crash risk. A key study found that drivers with a breath alcohol level of 22 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath (µg/100mL) are eight times less likely to be involved in a fatal crash than those at the current limit of 35 micrograms.

The legal limit in Scotland was reduced to 22 micrograms in 2014.

“But England and Wales remain an outlier with the highest legal drink-drive limit in the developed world,” says Hunter Abbott, managing director of personal breathalyser firm, AlcoSense Laboratories.

“This means we have drivers who are ‘legal but lethal’ on our roads. The evidence is clear - even modest reductions in blood alcohol concentration significantly lower crash risk.

“It would be a simple, effective step towards saving lives and would bring England and Wales in line with international standards.

A survey carried out by AlcoSense in December 2024 to mark the 10th anniversary of the limit being reduced in Scotland found that 79% of Scots believe it has made roads safer. A similar number (77%) think England and Wales should follow suit and 40% report drinking less overall.

“The Scottish data shows that lowering the limit reshapes behaviour,” adds Mr Abbott, who is also a member of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS).

“Fewer people drink when they know they will drive and millions avoid risky decisions altogether.

“The UK once led the way on road safety with the first roadside breath test in 1967. We are now lagging behind. In 2026 there is no excuse for laws that allow impaired drivers on our roads”.

The latest government figures underline the urgency of reform. In 2023, a total of 260 people were killed in drink drive crashes – with 6,310 casualties overall. After years of decline, progress has now stalled. Fatalities have hovered above 200 for nearly a decade.

-ends-

7 January 2026

Source: “Drugs and Alcohol: Their Relative Crash Risk” by Romano, Torres-Saavedra, Voas, and Lacey (2014)