RAC road safety spokesman Pete Williams said: “The figures for
alcohol-related road casualties and accidents in 2015 are a cause
for concern as they show a 4% increase in the number of people
killed or seriously injured compared to the previous year.
“We have seen a stubborn, plateauing of the drink-drive casualty
figures since 2010 but this could show the start of a worrying
trend in the opposite direction and is further evidence that we
can’t afford to be complacent about drink-drive levels in the UK.
“It is difficult to say whether this is down to a hard core of
persistent drink-drivers who appear to believe they are above the
law or if drinking and driving is becoming more acceptable to a
broader group.
“We call on the Government to review the drink-drive limit in
England and Wales and to draw on evidence from Scotland to review
the merits of reducing the blood alcohol limit following their
experience.
“Our research shows that drinking and driving remains a serious
concern for motorists with 22% stating it is one of their top
four motoring concerns. A majority of motorists would like to see
the drink-drive limit reduced to 50mg/100ml or less.
“The RAC calls on the Government to remind motorists of the
dangers of drink-driving and to support the police in enforcing
the law. We also believe that without a clear target for road
casualty reduction we are unlikely to see the numbers of
casualties further from the levels they reached in 2010.”
