'We can't sit by and simply do nothing'

Plan to cut drink-drive limit in road safety shake-up as deaths and injuries on the rise

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THE drink-driving limit in England and Wales could be lowered as part of a Government strategy to improve road safety.

Ministers are said to be drawing up a new plan, potentially marking the most significant overhaul of driving legislation since the Road Safety Act in 2006.

The proposals suggest reducing the drink-drive limit from 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath to 22 micrograms, aligning with Scotland’s current threshold.

Additional measures being considered include mandatory vision tests for drivers aged over 70, and increased fines for drivers with unbelted passengers.

There will also be stronger efforts to tackle uninsured driving and ‘ghost plates’ that evade camera detection. These proposed reforms are in response to concerning road casualty statistics.

In the past year alone, 1,633 people were killed in road traffic incidents, and nearly 28,000 people sustained serious injuries. This equates to one person being killed or seriously injured every 18 minutes.