The facts:

• Driving under the influence of illegal drugs and driving over the legal alcohol limit were motorists’ greatest road safety concern in the RAC Report on Motoring 2007
• Nearly 1 in 6 of all deaths on Britain’s roads involves drivers who are over the legal alcohol limit
• Driving or attempting to drive whilst over the legal limit carries a maximum penalty of 6 month’s imprisonment, a fine of up to £5,000 and a minimum 12 month ban from driving
• An endorsement for a drink-driving offence remains on a driving licence for 11 years, so it is 11 years before a convicted driver will have a "clean" licence again
• Motorists can still be affected by alcohol the morning after a night’s drinking
• The Road Safety Act 2006 introduced powers offer offenders the opportunity to participate, at their own expense, in an "alcohol ignition interlock programme". Where an offender agrees to this, his overall period of disqualification may be reduced
• Drug-driving is also believed to be widespread but currently there is no chemical roadside test available
• The current UK limit for drink-driving is 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, almost twice as much as the European average

RAC position:

• RAC supports both a reduction in the UK drink-drive limit to 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, in line with the rest of Europe but is not in favour of a lower blood alcohol limit for newly qualified drivers. The limit for all drivers should be reduced
• RAC supports a greater push to increase detection of drink-drivers and would welcome the introduction of wider random breath testing
• RAC believes greater visibility of traffic police on the roads combined with better education for drivers about drink-driving and alcohol limits would reduce the number of incidents
• RAC is keen for the Government to consider new technology, such as ‘alcolocks’, as a deterrent for repeat offenders
• RAC believes that roadside breath tests should be admissible in court without the need for further blood test evidence
• RAC believes the current roadside ‘Field Impairment Test’ for drug driving is not scientifically robust and is calling for an alternative to be developed
• RAC supports the Government’s efforts to educate road users about ‘morning-after motoring’

For further information contact:

Telephone: 01603 681914
jon.day@aviva.co.uk

Updated October 2007

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