News
Scottish drink-drive limit to be lowered
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has announced plans to
slash the drink-drive limit from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to
50mg by the end of the year.
He said: "We strongly believe that reducing the
drink-driving limit will save lives, and evidence from across Europe
shows that alcohol-related road deaths drop dramatically where the limit
has been reduced."
The SNP-led government is wasting no time in targeting
what it sees as the harmful effects of alcohol misuse, having
successfully introduced a minimum unit price on alcohol sold by
retailers only the week before.
The new proposal has received strong support from the
Scottish Labour Party. Their justice spokesperson Lewis Macdonald told
the BBC:
"This is a welcome development and something I called for
several weeks ago, so I am delighted that the Scottish Government are in
listening mode. We need to get the details right, but the SNP will have
our support on the issue as the Scottish Parliament work through the
fine print."
The power to change the limit was transferred to Holyrood under the 2012 Scotland Act.
Devolving authority over alcohol legislation has allowed the SNP to
develop and implement its own alcohol strategy ahead of its English
counterparts in Westminster.