Drink-Driving Limit Should Be Cut, Police Say

The drink-driving limit across England and Wales should be lowered to that of Scotland, a police body has recommended.

The Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, wants the limit lowered from the current 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood to 50mg.

"We would like to see road safety back on the national and local agenda," said Victoria Martin, a chief inspector working at the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), which meets for its annual conference later today.

She said the lower limit would bring England and Wales in line with other European countries as well as with Scotland, which "saw a marked reduction in failed breathalyser tests as soon as the law was changed last year".

:: Find out more about the history of drink-driving laws in the UK.

The group also said more needs to be done to tackle a "worrying trend" of women drink-driving.

Figures from Social Research Associates showed that nearly one in six women who responded to a survey last year admitted to driving when they thought they were over the limit, while many were unaware how much alcohol would put them over the threshold.

Ms Martin said: "We've seen a steep decline in men drink-driving over the years, with targeted advertising campaigns, which is great, but women don't seem to be getting the same message.

"It seems we have a worrying trend, with females still flouting the drink-drive limit, sometimes scarily unaware, putting themselves and others in danger as well as adding to the drain on police resources."

The annual conference - a three-day event in Bournemouth - is held amid warnings about the impact of further cuts to services.

Home Secretary Theresa May is set to address the conference on Wednesday in her first major public speech since the Conservatives' election victory.

When addressing the conference last year, Mrs May delivered a number of bombshell reforms and reeled off a list of scandals that she said had blighted the reputation of police in recent years.

The federation's chairman, Steve White, has said policing is "on its knees" and cannot sustain any more cuts.

However, Sara Thornton, chairwoman of the National Police Chiefs' Council, rejected the assessment, saying that "despite the challenges, we are by no means a service on our knees".

About 17,000 officers have been lost from the police services since 2010.