ROAD SAFETY campaigners accused the Government of "backtracking" after a minister said proposals for a cut in the drink-drive limit had been dropped.
The Government was considering lowering the limit from 80 to 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, a move road safety campaigners say would discourage drivers who have one or two drinks.
Research has found cutting the limit to 50mg - effectively saying you cannot have one drink before getting behind the wheel - would prevent 65 deaths and 230 injuries a year.
Robert Gifford, executive director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), said many drink drivers wanted to be law abiding but accidentally drank too much.
"The 50 limit says you cannot have one drink and get away with it," he said.
"I'm very disappointed. The basis of cutting the limit to 50mg has never been challenged by research.
"Once your alcohol level goes above 50mg your risk of involvement in an accident rises significantly."
His criticism came after Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said a consultation document on plans to reduce drink driving deaths would not include the reduction.
The minister told The Times: "It will not be recommending a reduction from 80 to 50. We are not convinced that dropping to 50 is the right answer.
"Drivers who are between 50 and 80mg are not the ones we are most worried about. It's the ones above 100.
"If you look at a comparison with other countries which have 50 rather than 80, are safety levels compare very favourably."
Other European countries have cut their alcohol limits to either 50mg or 20mg, apart from Ireland, which plans to reduce its limit to 50mg next year.
A spokesman for the Department for Transport said the document was still being finalised.
He said: "More than thirty years of Government education campaigns and measures to improve enforcement have cut the number of people killed in drink drive accidents each year by almost three quarters since 1979.
"However, we know we must do more to tackle this serious issue. We are currently considering a range of options to further cut the toll of deaths on our roads, including looking at how to make it easier for the police to enforce against drink driving."
Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Norman Baker said: "The Government's timidity is putting lives at risk. Britain has the highest drink-drive limit in the EU.
"By ducking this issue the Government is taking responsibility for an additional 65 deaths a year caused by the current drink-drive limit."
