Lowering of drink drive alcohol limit backed by police boss as change heads for Parliament

Vera Baird has joined a call to lower the drink drive limit.

This Friday the House of Lords will debate reduce the limit as part of the Road Traffic Act.

Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner Mrs Baird is urging peers to support the bill.

Commissioner Baird, along with her colleagues, Ron Hogg, PCC for Durham and Barry Coppinger, PCC for Cleveland, have written to the Transport Secretary, Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, making him aware of their support for Lord Brooke’s Private Members Bill to reduce the limit.

Northumbria is unique in that residents can be driving from home in Berwick over the border, thinking it is safe to do so as the limit is 80mg/100 mil whilst in Scotland it is much lower at 50mg.

Lowering the limit would also save lives and prevent many more road accidents.

When Scotland lowered the drink driving limit, offence went down by 17% in the first three months alone.

Lowering the limit would also save an estimated £300 million annually, by reducing the cost to the police and ambulance services and cutting hospital admissions.

Vera Baird said “The three PCCs for the North East are determined to do all that we can to make our roads safer.

The Government continue to tell us that tackling drink driving 'remains a priority' – but they have done very little to make change happen.

The peers now have an opportunity to deliver a message to Government – that one way to reduce death and injury on our roads is to lower the current drink drive limit in England and Wales."

A survey by Balance, the North East Alcohol Office, found that 84% of residents supported the reduction measure.

Mrs Baird added: “I’m adding my support to the many local residents calling for a lower drink drive limit.

"If we can get this into law now, I know that many lives will be saved in the weeks, months and years ahead.

"As the Northumbria force borders on to Scotland, many local residents could be abiding by the drink drive limit in our region, but find themselves breaking the law in Scotland."