The Scottish Government has announced that it will reduce the drink drive limit on 5 December.
The legal limit in Scotland, as in the rest of the UK, is currently 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. The new limit will reduce that to 50mg per 100ml of blood, bringing Scotland in line with Germany, France and Spain. A similar proposal to reduce the limit is being considered in Northern Ireland.
The Government first announced its plans two years ago after a consultation found almost three quarters of those who responded believed the drink-drive limit should be reduced.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: “Getting behind the wheel after drinking can have fatal consequences, the advice is simple; if you have had any alcoholic drink whatsoever, don’t drive. No one should be drinking and driving and the new lower limit only reinforces what should already be the case with drivers taking full responsibility and not putting lives at risk.
“Lowering the drink drive limit will help make Scotland’s roads safer, it is the right thing to do, and most importantly, it will save lives meaning that fewer families have to go through the heartache of a loved one lost”.
