Drink-drive probe to consider pub impact
The impact on pubs could be examined in a new Government-commissioned investigation into whether to alter the drink-drive limit.
Government is looking into whether the drink-drive limit should be reduced
The study, headed by legal expert Sir Peter North, will examine the impact of any changes on businesses and the economy, as well as the health implications.
It will study evidence that a new limit or framework of limits is needed, how any reduction in the limit should be framed, and the associated penalties.
North’s report is set to be released in March 2010 and will advise on the case for changes to the limit — either reducing the current limit, or adding a new lower limit with a revised penalties.
The current drink-drive limit is 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.
Safety campaigners have called for the level to be reduced but some in the pub trade fear the impact on isolated rural pubs in particular.
North, whose review of traffic law led to legal changes in the 1990s, said: “Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs still leads to a large number of deaths and serious injuries.
"The challenge is to see whether changes in the law and its processes can reduce casualties.
“The legal and practical issues are not easy to resolve but I intend to consult widely on these matters. I shall form my own independent views on them with the objective of providing advice by the end of March.”
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