The road safety charity “Brake” believes it is. They are running a campaign asking drivers to pledge not to touch a drop before getting behind the wheel.
The campaign has been launched to coincide with the month long crack down on drink driving by police forces across England and Wales, which will see increased checks on drivers for both alcohol and drugs.
The UK has the highest drink drive limit in Europe at 80mg of alcohol per 100mg of blood and 1 in 6 deaths on our roads are caused by drivers who have exceeded this. Brake believes many of these deaths could be prevented if drivers take the pledge not to drink any alcohol at all if they are going to drive.
“Even very small amounts of alcohol increase your risk of crashing dramatically, yet every year thousands of drivers risk it, and too often this results in tragedy,” said Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive of the charity.
“We need everyone on board with the message that it’s none for the road, and if you do risk it, you will be caught.”
So is the UKs current limit too high? Many supporters of a zero tolerance policy think so, and also point out that it is impossible to predict the effect alcohol will have on a person’s ability, with many factors such as body weight, your sex, tolerance to alcohol and when you last ate food.
This, coupled with the fact that alcohol, by its very nature, often creates a sense of false confidence in the drinker means it can be impossible to judge if drinking to the limit will leave an individual sober as a judge or dangerously drunk.
Perhaps it is time for the UK to change legislation so that drink driving extends to any drinking at all. After all, can a pint ever be worth it?
