Provisional estimates for 2012, released today by the Department for Transport (DfT), show there were 290 people killed in drink-drive accidents in Great Britain – a rise of around a quarter compared to the previous year.
As a proportion of all reported road fatalities, the number of drink-drive deaths was 17 per cent in 2012, compared to 12 per cent in 2011.
RoSPA is calling on the Government in Westminster to lower the drink-drive limit from 80mg of alcohol per 100 ml to 50 mg per 100 ml blood and follow the lead of ministers in Scotland and Northern Ireland, who have already agreed to the change the law.
As the UK’s leading accident prevention charity, RoSPA also believes that the police should have increased powers to require a breath test without needing any other reason. Under the current system, the police can stop any driver for any reason, but they cannot require a breathtest without a suspicion that the driver has consumed alcohol, or has committed a traffic offence or been involved in an accident.
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