Drink-drive regulation report commissioned in UK

Date: 7/12/2009

A report has been commissioned by the UK government into tightening regulation of drinking and driving, it has been reported.

Sir Peter North of Oxford University is to look into whether the limit of 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood should be reduced to 50 milligrams.

Under the current rules, drivers remain within the drink-drive limit if they drink no more than the equivalent of one and a half small glasses of wine or one and a half pints of normal-strength beer.

The European average, meanwhile, is the equivalent of one glass of wine or under a pint of normal-strength beer.

Commenting on the commission of the report, transport secretary Lord Adonis stated there "may be a case for further strengthening the law".

He added that although road safety has improved significantly over the past few years, drink-driving killed 430 people last year.

A recent survey of AA members last month found two-thirds of the 15,000 respondents said they supported a lowering of the drink-drive limit.

Sir Peter North's report will be handed to Lord Adonis before April next year.