BMA calls for lower drink-drive limit

Sir Ian Gilmore, president of the British Medical Association (BMA) has said that hundreds of lives could be saved by implementing ‘all necessary policy measures’ to stop drink and drug driving

The BMA has been working with medical professional bodies, alcohol harm and road safety charities and campaign groups, and police and emergency services, to develop a consensus statement on alcohol, drugs and driving.

The statement includes recommendations around:

• Lowering the BAC limit for driving Ensuring enforcement and educating the public
• Increasing alcohol and drug treatment service capacity and capabilities and directing to those services
• Implementing other preventative policies such as mandatory labelling of all alcohol products to include health risks and warnings not to drive if drinking.

The statement also stresses the need to situate drink and drug driving harm in the context of the wider harms caused by alcohol and other drugs and associated health inequalities.