DOCTORS are campaigning for a lower drink-drive limit and say English law is outdated.
The British Medical Association voted on Tuesday to lobby ministers for a stricter rule to improve road safety.
GettyA lowering of the drink-drive limit could criminalise people who get behind the wheel after even one drink[/caption]
But the move was slammed as “anti-alcohol” and another blow to struggling pubs.
Current laws in England and Wales mean anyone with more than 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood is over the limit.
Police say there is “no way to know” how much drink would hit this level and it varies between people.
Members of the BMA voted at a conference to “reduce the legal blood alcohol limit to the average of European Nations”.
Most countries, including Scotland, have a limit of 50mg per 100ml – 38 per cent lower than England’s.
The change could criminalise anyone who gets behind the wheel after even a single drink.
Dr Simon Minkoff, a GP in Manchester, said: “At 50mg, reaction times and visual detection skills are already impaired.
“Our law is behind the times. It’s no longer evidence-based and it exposes society to too much unnecessary risk.”
Department for Transport statistics show there were 85,410 casualties from drink-drive crashes between 2011 and 2020.
There were 2,110 deaths – around 200 per year.
BMA chief Sir Ian Gilmore said it is “scandalous” that England and Wales have one of the highest limits in Europe.
Dr Katherine Severi, from the Institute of Alcohol Studies, called it “nonsensical”.
But doctors and experts opposing the campaign claim there is no evidence that slashing the limit would reduce crashes.
Chris Snowdon, from the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: “Scotland lowered the drink driving limit several years ago.
“It was predicted to reduce traffic accidents and road deaths but subsequent evaluations showed that it did nothing but damage the pub trade.
“This would not just stop people drinking anything before they drive, it would discourage them from drinking in the evening if they were going to drive in the morning.
“It is an anti-alcohol policy, not a road safety policy.”