London - The government should aim to lower the legal drink drive limit to “effectively zero” in the long term and in the meantime give police greater powers to tackle those who break the current limit, MPs said on Thursday.
A report by the Transport Committee said while medical and statistical evidence supported lowering the limit, it should remain at the existing level of 80mg alcohol per 100ml of blood for the time being.
“In the long term, we believe that the Government should aim for an 'effectively zero' limit of 20mg/100ml but we acknowledge that is too great a step at this stage,” the report said.
The committee added they did not back an interim cut to 50mg/100ml, saying it would send out a mixed message when the government was advising people not to drink at all before getting behind the wheel.
Instead, ministers should start to educate people to accept the lower level of 20mg/100ml in the future.
“We are also calling for the police to be given an additional power to require preliminary breath tests as part of any designated drink drive enforcement operation,” said the committee's chairman Louise Ellman.
“We do believe enforcement of drink drive law in Great Britain must become much more visible, frequent, sustained and well-publicised.”
Figures show that 18 percent of all drivers killed in road accidents are over the legal limit. However only about 3 percent of motorists are stopped and tested compared to a European average of 16 percent.
The committee said police should be given the power to breath test drivers without having to have an element of suspicion they might be over the limit.
The MPs also said the government should keep the 12-month mandatory disqualification for anyone caught driving over the limit, and also adopt a five-year strategy to tackling drug driving, with a high-profile campaign to warn of the dangers and consequences of being caught.
Their recommendations come as police forces around the country launch their annual patrols to tackle drink drivers.
The government also announced on Wednesday that drivers would be able to get free soft drinks from around 8 000 pubs over the Christmas period.
The British Medical Association said it was disappointed the committee had not called for a cut in the drink drive limit.
“We disagree with the committee that a reduction in the limit would send out mixed messages,” said Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA's Director of Professional Activities.
“We believe that such a move will help prevent deaths and reduce the number of lives ruined by drink driving.”
The Automobile Association said two-third of 18 000 drivers it had polled backed a cut to 50mg/100ml.
“In a sense the move from 80mg to 20mg is skipping a generation and hence may be more difficult to gain public support,” said AA President Edmund King. - Reuters