Shropshire firm calls for drink-drive limit cut

Jenny Wynn, managing director at driver education organisation TTC Group based at Hadley Park East in Telford, has called for the two nations to reduce their legal limits from 80 to 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, bringing them into line with Scotland.

Northern Ireland is expected to bring its laws in line with the Republic of Ireland, which has a dual limit of 50mg for most drivers and 20mg for professional and novice drivers.

And Mrs Wynn said Northern Ireland Assembly members had been "quite shocked" by how much alcohol could be drunk to reach 80mg when she explained the limits to members politicians at Stormont.

She said: "England, Wales and Malta will soon be the only countries in Europe with the 80mg limit. It can't be right that you can be under the drink-drive limit on the English side of the border with Scotland but over on the Scottish side. Everyone should have the same drink-drive limit.

"The UK is isolated and must recognise the importance of boundaries with neighbouring regions and be consistent in its approach to the drink drive laws."

She said law makers in Northern Ireland were also considering introducing a 20mg limit for taxi, lorry and bus drivers, as well as for new drivers, after being concerned that a man can still drink "a fair amount" of more than a pint of beer or just over a glass of wine to hit the 50 limit.

She also joined the call for women to be made more aware about how their alcohol limits differed after it was revealed that men are changing their drinking habits while female drink-drive convictions are not falling.

"Women can drink a lot less alcohol before reaching the drink-drive limit than men because of the difference in body fat and water between the sexes. But we want to get over the message that people should not drink at all if they are going to drive," Mrs Wynn added.