Drink driving limit in UK set to be slashed in major road safety crackdown

The drink-driving limit in England and Wales could be cut in a wide-ranging Government plan to improve road safety. Ministers are drawing up a new strategy for the autumn, which could be the most extensive reform of driving laws since the Road Safety Act in 2006. Proposals include lowering the drink-drive limit from 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath to 22 micrograms, matching the current level in Scotland.

Other measures under consideration include compulsory eyesight checks for drivers over 70, tougher penalties for motorists whose passengers fail to wear seatbelts, and a crackdown on uninsured drivers and "ghost plates" that cannot be detected by cameras.

The planned changes come as road casualty figures show a worrying trend.

Last year, 1,633 people died in road traffic accidents and almost 28,000 were seriously injured, the equivalent of one person killed or seriously hurt every 18 minutes.

Serious injuries fell sharply between 2000 and 2010, but have since risen by almost 20%, The Times reports.

A Government source told The Times: "It cannot be right that one person is killed or seriously injured on our roads every 18 minutes. Just think of the impact on those people and their families. We cannot sit by and simply do nothing."

The number of drivers in Britain over the age of 60 involved in collisions causing death or serious injury has risen by 47% since 2010.

A recent coroner's report warned that the UK has some of the "laxest" sight-related driving laws in Europe, with only three countries relying on drivers to self-report medical conditions affecting their vision.

Under the proposals, drivers over 70 would need an eye test every three years when renewing their licence, with potential medical checks for conditions such as dementia.

Seatbelt enforcement could also be strengthened. Currently, drivers caught without a seatbelt face three penalty points and a maximum £500 court fine, while passengers with a licence can be given two points.

The proportion of road deaths involving someone not wearing a seatbelt rose from 21% in 2014 to 25% last year, rising to 40% for back-seat passengers.

There are also plans to make prosecutions for drug-driving easier by allowing police to use roadside saliva tests as evidence, replacing the need for blood tests.

Over the past decade, the number of drivers killed with drugs in their system has risen by 78%.

Edmund King, president of the AA, said the strategy was "long overdue" and that stronger rules, combined with more police enforcement, could save dozens of lives each year.

He said: "It is in everyone's interests to tackle road safety and bring the levels of death and serious injuries down significantly."

"In other countries, such as Australia and Canada, the introduction of new measures to help young drivers has reduced death and serious injury by between 20% and up to 40%.

"Hence, if the UK scheme saw similar reductions, it is estimated that at least 58 deaths and 934 serious injuries could be prevented each year."

The Government is expected to put the strategy out to consultation in the autumn.