Is it time to reduce drink drive limits?

[alchemist]

According to a survey the majority of drivers would welcome a lower drink drive limit

 

http://www.techienews.co.uk/9721617/majority-uk-drivers-favour-lower-drink-drive-limit/

 

Do you think that the time has finally come for politicians to grow a pair and reduce the limits?

[Member]

A upper limit of 0 would do for me.

[alchemist]

A upper limit of 0 would do for me.

 

Me too, although there seems to be some quite serious arguments about how a zero tolerance level would be impractical

[Member]

Me too, although there seems to be some quite serious arguments about how a zero tolerance level would be impractical

 

I dont see how it can be impractical. If you are intending to get behind the wheel then dont drink for a couple of days before. Have a sliding scale of fines up to say 15 micrograms (if thats the right measure) and anything after that, instant ban!

[Grenoside123]

I think it needs to be zero to be safe. Differnt people's tolerance to alcohol can be really quite different. For example, I could drink twice the legal limit and not feel in the slightest bit intoxicated, whereas my best friend is tipsy after half a lager! Even with this in mind, I would never get behind the wheel if i'd had even the smallest amount of alcohol. The only reasonable thing to do would be to make drinking and driving of any amount illegal, then there can be no confusion.

[biotechpete]

I don't think a zero limit is realistically workable but the evidence from NICE is that it's pretty effective in reducing road deaths in some contexts.

 

Seems like perhaps having a lower limit for under 30s would be the most effective policy

 

Other studies indicate that reducing the BAC limit from 0.08 to 0.05 is

effective. In what is the most recent and relevant high quality study, the

 

adoption of a 0.05 BAC driving limit reduced alcohol-related driving death

 

rates by 11.5% among young people aged 18–25 (Albalate 2006 [++]). It also

reduced driving fatalities among men of all ages by 5.7%, and among men in

urban areas there was a 9.2% reduction. The analysis, which covered 15

European countries, took account of a large number of factors which could

have affected the results, including related policies and enforcement:

minimum legal driving age, points-based licensing and random checks.

 

]).

The effect is independent of other control measures (in particular,

administrative licence suspension).

There were no significant reductions in deaths or injuries among the

population as a whole when other concurrent policies and infrastructure

quality were taken into account.

The lowering of the BAC limit from 0.08 to 0.05 also led to a significant

reduction in fatal accidents in Australia, specifically, an 18% reduction in

Queensland and 8% reduction in New South Wales (Henstridge et al. 2004

[+])

[tinfoilhat]

I don't think a zero limit is realistically workable but the evidence from NICE is that it's pretty effective in reducing road deaths in some contexts.

 

Seems like perhaps having a lower limit for under 30s would be the most effective policy

 

Pete, you're a scientist - if had just brushed my teeth, used mouthwash (maybe swallowed a bit?)am I likely to fail a zero tolerance breath test?

[Member]

Pete, you're a scientist - if had just brushed my teeth, used mouthwash (maybe swallowed a bit?)am I likely to fail a zero tolerance breath test?

 

I use alcohol free mouth wash.

[EndlessAccel]

According to a survey the majority of drivers would welcome a lower drink drive limit

 

http://www.techienews.co.uk/9721617/majority-uk-drivers-favour-lower-drink-drive-limit/

 

Do you think that the time has finally come for politicians to grow a pair and reduce the limits?

 

In Scotland they have limited it to roughly a half pint. Apparently England to follow. . Also I n Scotland the mouth wash etc wont work. They say no excuses about mouth wash bla bla. I say it is a good thing. 1 pint is to much.

 

---------- Post added 21-12-2014 at 00:16 ----------

 

Scotland's new drink-drive limit explained by forensic toxicologist

4 December 2014 Last updated at 11:21 GMT

 

New lower drink-drive limits will come into force in Scotland on Friday.

 

The change from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg means drivers could be over the legal limit after consuming far less alcohol.

 

Dr Hazel Torrance, a forensic toxicologist at Glasgow University, told BBC Scotland's Reevel Alderson several factors determine the concentration of alcohol in an individual's blood.

 

Her advice was to err on the side of caution. "If you know you're going to be driving then do not drink at all," she said.

Edited December 21, 2014 by EndlessAccel

[*_ash_*]

In Scotland they have limited it to roughly a half pint. Apparently England to follow. . Also I n Scotland the mouth wash etc wont work. They say no excuses about mouth wash bla bla. I say it is a good thing. 1 pint is to much.

 

---------- Post added 21-12-2014 at 00:16 ----------

 

Scotland's new drink-drive limit explained by forensic toxicologist

4 December 2014 Last updated at 11:21 GMT

 

New lower drink-drive limits will come into force in Scotland on Friday.

 

The change from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg means drivers could be over the legal limit after consuming far less alcohol.

 

Dr Hazel Torrance, a forensic toxicologist at Glasgow University, told BBC Scotland's Reevel Alderson several factors determine the concentration of alcohol in an individual's blood.

 

Her advice was to err on the side of caution. "If you know you're going to be driving then do not drink at all," she said.

 

Good to see experts telling us things in case we don't get it