YES: Katherine Brown, Director, Institute of Alcohol Studies

Oxford Mail:

UK road safety has come a long way since detailed records began in 1979. The number of drink-drive accidents has fallen two-thirds, and there are almost six times fewer drink-drive fatalities today. However, recent statistics have warned of a reverse in this trend, with an increasing number of drivers, especially females, reportedly getting behind the wheel while over the limit.

The Scottish Government has decided to address this key public safety issue and reduce the legal limit from 80 to 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood by the new year. Doing so will bring Scotland in line with almost all of the EU, leaving the rest of the UK trailing behind.

At present the UK and Malta are the only countries whose drink-drive limits remain above 50mg/100ml. This is despite an EU recommendation dating back to 2001 that all member states should adopt a maximum legal limit of 50mg/100ml. It also goes against public opinion, with polls consistently showing support for lowering the drink-drive limit.

Both common sense and scientific research tell us that the risk of having a drink-driving accident increases exponentially as more alcohol is drunk. Within the current legal limit of 80mg/100ml, a driver’s risk of dying in a crash is six times greater than one who has not consumed alcohol. Lowering the legal limit to 50mg/100ml halves this risk – but the message remains clear that the safest option is not to drink.

This is the message that the Scottish Government will be delivering to drivers ahead of the new legislation to be introduced in January 2015. This move will no doubt have a positive impact on road safety north of the border, and the Northern Ireland administration has made a commitment to follow suit.

The question for Westminster is; how long do we have to sit back and watch our neighbours benefit from lifesaving policies before we too can take action to protect road users from drink-drivers?

 

NO: Tony Goulding, chairman of the Campaign for Real Ale Oxford branch

Oxford Mail:

DRIVING around the Oxfordshire countryside or down one of the main roads into Oxford city centre, you will notice the odd pub that is closed.

Or there might be buildings that were pubs now used for other purposes.

There is no particular area that is more prone to the loss of a pub. You would probably think that  over the past 20 or so years the drink-driving offence would mean all the country pubs would close.

It could also be thought that all those pubs in urban areas would be open, given that people drive to country pubs. This is not the case.

You are just as likely to see cars stopped by the law that only drive short distances due to the drinkers’ health issues, laziness or a lack of brain power.

Certainly the threat of the breathalyser is one of a number of nails in the coffin of the pub scene.

We at CAMRA in general support sensible and healthy drinking and we are very much aware of the plight of many pubs that are located in isolated places with no public transport nearby. A lowering of the drink-driving alcohol limit, possibly to zero, leaves all drivers in no doubts about drinking and driving.

The impact on the pub scene is already there and I personally don’t think that a lower limit will have that much of a greater impact on driving to the pub, with some drivers only drinking one pint or measure instead of two in line with a small number of people I know.

It is not just this threat to driving to the pub for a drink that is leading to the closure of pubs, there are many other threats up there. Among the worst are supermarkets, debt-ridden pubcos and property speculators.

 

 

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