UK Launches Consultation on Lower Drink-Drive Limit

The UK government is launching a public consultation on lowering the drink-drive limit in England and Wales for the first time since the 1960s, as part of a comprehensive road safety strategy aimed at reducing deaths and serious injuries by 65 percent by 2035 and by 70 percent for children under 16. The proposals, announced by Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood, would align the limit with Scotland's stricter standard and include additional measures such as mandatory eye tests for drivers over 70 and tougher penalties for uninsured motorists.

Under current rules in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the legal limit stands at 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 milliliters of breath or 80 milligrams per 100 milliliters of blood, one of the highest in Europe alongside Malta. Scotland reduced its limit to 22 micrograms per 100 milliliters of breath or 50 milligrams per 100 milliliters of blood in 2014. The proposed change would bring England and Wales in line with this lower threshold, potentially making even a single standard drink risky for some drivers, depending on factors like body weight, gender and whether food was consumed.

Officials cited stalled progress in road safety as...