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Well, as expected, the Scottish government have launched their consultation on reducing the drink-drive limit north of the Border. Much has been written on this before, but surely if there is a problem with drivers exceeding the current limit, then that needs to be enforced and publicised more effectively. And is there really any firm evidence of disproportionate accident involvement amongst drivers in the 50-80 mg range? What it looks very much like is identifying a problem with drivers doing 70 in a 40 limit, and reducing the limit to 30, thus inconveniencing anyone who wants to stick to the law, but then doing nothing more to actually enforce it.
As I have said before, far from being a road safety measure, the main factors behind this are to advance the Scottish government’s general anti-drink agenda and to drive a further wedge between Scotland and England. Even if they never touch a drop immediately before driving, it will force law-abiding people with driving licences to think much more carefully about when they can ever reasonably have more than a single alcoholic drink.
I also commented on the blatant injustice of banning English drivers from driving in England for doing something in Scotland that remains legal south of the Border - something that the Home Office have confirmed will be the case. And will it be reasonable to impose huge insurance penalties on English drivers for doing something where, if the police found them doing it in England, they would just wave them on their way and there would be no obligation to even mention it to the insurance company?



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