The Government’s consultation to reduce the legal drink-driving limit in England and Wales has been welcomed by road safety campaigners.
A study found that drivers with a breath alcohol level of 22 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath (µg/100mL) are eight times less likely to be involved in a fatal crash than those at the current limit of 35 micrograms.
The legal limit in Scotland was reduced to 22 micrograms in 2014.
Hunter Abbott, member of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) and managing director of personal breathalyser firm, AlcoSense Laboratories, said: “But England and Wales remain an outlier with the highest legal drink-drive limit in the developed world.
“This means we have drivers who are ‘legal but lethal’ on our roads.
“The evidence is clear – even modest reductions in blood alcohol concentration significantly lower crash risk.
“It would be a simple, effective step towards saving lives and would bring England and Wales in line with international standards.”
A survey carried out by AlcoSense in December of 2024 to mark the 10th anniversary of the limit being reduced in Scotland found that 79% of Scots believe it has made roads safer.
A similar number (77%) think England and Wales should follow suit, and 40% report drinking less overall.
Abbott added: “The Scottish data shows that lowering the limit reshapes behaviour.
“Fewer people drink when they know they will drive and millions avoid risky decisions altogether.
“The UK once led the way on road safety with the first roadside breath test in 1967.
“We are now lagging behind. In 2026 there is no excuse for laws that allow impaired drivers on our roads.”
In 2023, a total of 260 people were killed in drink-driving crashes, with 6,310 casualties overall. Fatalities have hovered above 200 for nearly a decade.
