Why is the UK so behind with drink driving limits?

Mr Bump

Mr Bump

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Saw this today, bad stuff...
But it got me thinkng what are the limits?

Apparently Engand, Wales, NI is 80mg / 100ml
Scotland it is 50mg / 100ml

Also pretty much the same in the whole of the EU 50mg

Why is most of the UK so out of touch?

Poland has one of the EU's strictest drink-drive limits of 0.02% of alcohol in the blood,
Four countries – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia – have an absolute ban on alcohol for drivers

www.bbc.co.uk

Drink-driving Great Britain: Deaths at highest for 13 years

But fatalities are significantly down on historic highs and the number of casualties has been falling.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
 
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Good point. In any case, what's the point in drinking at all if you have to limit it to one glass/one measure etc? Better to have none or be free to drink as much as you wish, with a designated driver staying teetotal.
 
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Mr Bump said:
Saw this today, bad stuff...
But it got me thinkng what are the limits?

Apparently Engand, Wales, NI is 80mg / 100ml
Scotland it is 50mg / 100ml

Also pretty much the same in the whole of the EU 50mg

Why is most of the UK so out of touch?

Poland has one of the EU's strictest drink-drive limits of 0.02% of alcohol in the blood,
Four countries – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia – have an absolute ban on alcohol for drivers

www.bbc.co.uk

Drink-driving Great Britain: Deaths at highest for 13 years

But fatalities are significantly down on historic highs and the number of casualties has been falling.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
Click to expand...

No different to other motoring laws, like speed limits where we seem to be behind many other countries (in terms of us having more speed cameras etc, or that most motorways are 80mph). Also enforcement - some countries are more obsessed with some things than others, my dad told me they are very strict on red light jumping in Cyprus but more 'relaxed' about drink driving
 
cambsno said:
No different to other motoring laws, like speed limits where we seem to be behind many other countries (in terms of us having more speed cameras etc, or that most motorways are 80mph). Also enforcement - some countries are more obsessed with some things than others, my dad told me they are very strict on red light jumping in Cyprus but more 'relaxed' about drink driving
Click to expand...

I agree but changing Drink Driving limits seems a very simple change to bring road deaths down , no signs to change , maybe some kit in police stations etc?
Just seems even more dumb for our limit to be so high?

Personally I haven't had an ounce of alcohol and got in a car in probably 20 years but that's just me.
 
cambsno said:
No different to other motoring laws, like speed limits where we seem to be behind many other countries (in terms of us having more speed cameras etc, or that most motorways are 80mph). Also enforcement - some countries are more obsessed with some things than others, my dad told me they are very strict on red light jumping in Cyprus but more 'relaxed' about drink driving
Click to expand...
In Cyprus jumping red lights is a national sport. Reckon on at least three going through after the lights have gone to red. Regards drink driving; they have to bring police in from other areas to counter nepotism. For example they will ship officers in from Larnaka to do spot checks on motorists in Paphos.
 
Currently if the limit is brought down all I can see happening is the statistics for drink driving crashes will go up, as more drivers will be over the limit.

Unless there are more police out on the roads, there won't be much of a change in the number of people taking a risk.
 
Might as well have no limit where I live, police are a s rare as rocking horse droppings. Same with the speed change, I havent seen a single speed camera van since they brought it in. Totally ignored sadly.
 
Pound Coin said:
Currently if the limit is brought down all I can see happening is the statistics for drink driving crashes will go up, as more drivers will be over the limit.

Unless there are more police out on the roads, there won't be much of a change in the number of people taking a risk.
Click to expand...

I don't agree it will have an affect as people will know they are pushing there luck and we
need to bring down road deaths caused by drink driving, education is key.
 
I used to drink to below the limit and drive when the breathalyser was introduced but for the last 20 years avoided drinking completely if I am driving.
A few years before the breathalyser, I was driving down a street in my town when flagged down by a policeman. As he approached I suddenly realised that I was going the wrong way down a one way street which had reversed direction only a few days earlier. The policeman initially asked me if I lived in the town which I confirmed so he said "so you will be well used to travelling in this direction". I then admitted the moment I saw him flag me down, I realised what I had done. It would have been obvious that I and my passengers had been drinking. He just told me to be more careful in future. I then said but should I turn round and go back or now continue and it was only 20 yards to the end of the one way. The Policemen "either carry on or turn around but I will continue on my beat; if I hear a crash, I will be a witness to the circumstances." I did carry on without incident as it was after midnight. Old fashioned policing?

Dave
 
Different countries have differing laws that have been designed around their culture. One needs to ask whether having a lower limit really would make a tangible difference i.e. would there be fewer crashes caused by people being between 50 & 100mg/100ml, or would it just be a paper exercise to make government appear to be doing something, but with the same people still drinking and driving in the same way?

TBH such a change in the law might catch the person who is careful and just has a shandy if they're out instead of a pint, rather than making a difference to the serious drinkers. A bit like the 20mph limits, the speeders still speed, and only the careful ones have their lives made a little worse - of course it drops the average speed, because it's an average.
 
Majority of drink driving is not from having one drink while having dinner or while you are out for the afternoon. Its people drinking 3 or 4 or more and risking it or just not caring. Most will be more worried about getting caught that the fact that they could kill someone. Even if dropped to zero those people will still drink and still drive.
 
Where DUI is concerned, a legal punishment should include a "community service order" but where injury or death is caused, a mandatory prison sentence!

Removing freedom or liberty might be the only functional deterrent that works ????
 
ancient_mariner said:
Different countries have differing laws that have been designed around their culture. One needs to ask whether having a lower limit really would make a tangible difference i.e. would there be fewer crashes caused by people being between 50 & 100mg/100ml, or would it just be a paper exercise to make government appear to be doing something, but with the same people still drinking and driving in the same way?

TBH such a change in the law might catch the person who is careful and just has a shandy if they're out instead of a pint, rather than making a difference to the serious drinkers. A bit like the 20mph limits, the speeders still speed, and only the careful ones have their lives made a little worse - of course it drops the average speed, because it's an average.
Click to expand...

Totally agree - it may catch more people but will it actually reduce deaths, I doubt it!
 
Laws only work if they are enforced, so reducing the legal limit will be pretty pointless unless and until there are enough police on the streets to actually catch people.
 
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