BRITAIN’S top doctors have called for a major change to the laws covering drinking and driving.
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, President of the British Medical Association (BMA) which represents the profession in the UK, issued the urgent warning as we head towards the Christmas party season.
Sir Ian urged the Government to significantly tighten the rules around drunk driving.
The union is effectively calling for a total ban, with nobody who has consumed even a single alcoholic drink allowed to get behind the wheel.
This is because, they argue, there is no safe way to work out how much you can drink before going over the limit.
Sir Ian blamed stronger drinks and larger servings in pubs for the uncertainty, saying it puts lives at risk.
He told The Mirror: “People don’t realise that drinks have got stronger.
“It’s been a gradual and rather pernicious change.
“The shift has been to have stronger beers and lagers.”
The senior medic suggested that it is now “more trendy” to sip lagers from Spain or Greece than “traditional British bitter”, with the former usually having a higher alcohol by volume (ABV) rating.
He added: “People are just not aware.
“To talk about how many units you can have is not helpful.”
The Department for Transport recommends no more than two to three units for men or one to two for women before driving.
For reference, a pint of low-strength beer or a standard glass of wine is two units, while a shot of spirit is usually around one.
An urban myth has sprung up that this is the limit and if you drink less than that you can go out on the roads legally.
However, the drink driving limit is actually based on the amount of alcohol in your blood or in your breath.
Drivers can have no more than 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood or 35 micrograms per 100ml of breath.
And different people who have had the same amount to drink can return different readings depending on factors including gender, age, height and weight.
As such, there is no way to properly keep track of whether or not you are over the limit.
Given that there are around 260 drunk driving-related deaths annually in the UK, according to official figures, Sir Ian suggested that nobody who has touched a drop should be able to operate a vehicle.
He went on: “That idea you could have two pints and four units and get away with it has always been dangerous.
“The risks are so high and the consequences are so big.”
At their conference in the summer, the BMA passed a motion resolving to ask the Government to reduce the legal limit to 50mg per 100ml of blood.
This would bring the UK in line with the majority of EU nations, as well as Scotland, Australia and New Zealand.
This could, according to Sir Ian, be done with a view towards reducing it further to 20mg per 100ml of blood, which he says is “virtually zero” but would allow for someone having had a bit of mouthwash.
He also warned drivers not to be indifferent towards the risks of drunk driving, saying: “It’s fine to think ‘I’ll get away with it, I’ve got a 99% chance of getting away with it’.
“If you’re the 1% you could end up in prison and it would ruin your life and it would ruin the life of all the people around that victim.”
Being found to be drunk behind the wheel can see you handed a six-month jail term and an unlimited fine.
It also automatically comes with a driving ban of at least a year, while you could also face increased insurance costs, a note on your licence and even trouble getting a visa.
Moreover, if you are involved in a fatal accident while drunk, you can be charged with causing death by dangerous driving, with a possible life sentence hanging over you.
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