Transport Secretary says UK drink-drive limit won't be cut

Thursday, December 08, 2016

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling MP has said that the drink-drive limit in England & Wales won't be lowered. Ministers have been under pressure to lower it since Scotland introduced a lower limit in 2014 and evidence showed it reduced the number of drink-drive related road deaths.

Road safety organisations lobbied the Transport Secretary in October to follow Scotland's lead and lower the limit across the whole of the UK. In declining to do so the Transport Secretary said they do not want to penalise motorists who "simply have a glass of wine at a pub". Road safety groups have already said that there has been no progress in England or Wales in reducing the damage caused by drink driving since 2010.

In Scotland Police report that offences fell by 12.5% in the nine months following the introduction of the lower limit. Northern Ireland is separately preparing to lower its limit; as is Malta, the only other country in the EU with a limit as high as England & Wales.

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