An interesting story from Scotland. According to this report they are going to introduce a lower drink-drive limit to move into line with Europe. The current limit is the same as the rest of the UK (80mg/100ml blood), but they are likely to drop it to 50mg/100ml blood.
Taken at face value, the move seems to press all the right buttons. However, Scotland already has a disproportionate number of drink drivers, and all that this change would do would be to make even more of them lawbreakers.
But you are really only breaking the law if you get caught – and enforcement is going to be a real headache.
There is also the suggestion that the change has other political forces driving it, and making the limit the same as in Europe – but different from what it is in England – is a gesture of independence by the SNP and its separatist agenda. It’s designed to break Scotland further away from the UK.
The SNP is already trying to set a minimum price for alcohol. The Scottish Justice Secretary – via a spokesman – demonstrates a naïveté that would be quite cute if it wasn’t so misguided:
All the evidence shows that alcohol-related road deaths drop dramatically where the limit has been reduced to more accurately reflect when the effects of drinking impairs driving.
Well, yes. If you enforce it so that people follow it. But changing the limit will have absolutely no effect on road deaths by itself.
The minister’s naïveté was matched only by Brake – the anti-drink-drive champions – who welcomed the change, and added that it was a start on the way to lowering the limit even further.
You have to eliminate the pissheads before you can move the goalposts.
(Note: The report is inaccurate when it refers to how much beer the limits approximate to.)