Nanny statism. It does nothing to improve safety, just creates more work for police and courts.
TheWorldIsGoingMad on
There is no reason to do that. It will just negatively affect many people’s enjoyment of life for no significant benefit, Edmund King of the AA has just been on the radio and he was saying that the reduction in blood alcohol levels in Scotland had no significant effect on road accidents. His point was that the great majority of drunk drivers who have serious accidents aren’t just under the previous limit, they’re way over the limit.
Having said all that I think the government will still drop the limit because they, as most politicians are these days, are a bunch of “progressive” authoritarian virtue signalling kill joys : “***Look, we care about people so much, every single life, that we are going to drop the drink drive limit (even if the people don’t want it and has been proved it will make no discernible difference)***”.
AndAnotherThingHere on
Might stop people who have a couple of pints, will not stop those who have a lot more. Final nail in the coffin of country pubs and more money for supermarkets. Nothing like a bit of virtue signalling.
ItsSuperDefective on
Brace yourselves for the most cretinous people you know complaining about this for years.
BlondBitch91 on
I know people on reddit will call for it to be dropped to zero, which means that even having eaten a chocolate liqueur or a Christmas pudding would stop them from driving, but I would really like to see the evidence the government has that this would actually improve things.
How many accidents were there, caused by people between the old limit and the new one? I’d like to see data showing exactly what benefits this will have.
Never seen as much DD as in Wiltshire, it’s the norm for middle class Brits to have a couple of beers at pubs/houses and then drive home. Yet in my 10 years here, not once have I ever been randomly tested or seen roadside checks.
dvb70 on
I imagine this will have quite an impact on pubs. I will have 1 pint when driving over a period of around an hour when eating out but with new rules I just won’t drink.
Acceptable-Pin2939 on
How will this improve road safety.
Drink drivers drunk enough to cause a crash are already over the limit.
Better_Concert1106 on
Solving a problem that doesn’t really exist. People going for a pint with a meal or something like that aren’t really the problem and the lower limit hasn’t made any difference in Scotland from what I can tell.
Underscore_Blues on
People who drive 3x over the current limit will still drink.
People who drive after 1-2 pints with a meal or a small outing will now not drink.
Hmmm.
Salty-Bid1597 on
The UK has practically the safest roads in the world. Only Norway is better.
What has prompted this sudden concern for a problem that isn’t? Could it be some kind of ideological crusade?
andrew0256 on
I’d like to see proper research and evidence to bolster the government’s case. From what I’ve read dropping the driving limit has had no impact on accident rates.
If I’m driving I have one pint of beer, before moving onto soft drinks. This is a case of performative politics yet again.
Bladders_ on
For god’s sake! Why do Labour just take, take, take, they’re taking everything away slowly but surely.
I say this as a one time labour voter myself. Never again!
Taps698 on
The people that drink drive already know the limit. They just ignore it. Lowering it won’t make a jot of difference. Unless I see a lot of evidence that a lot of accidents are caused by those just under the limit I am very sceptical.
ken-doh on
One pint or glass of wine with a meal does not cause a problem. The issue is assholes who drink 5 pints and drive. This change will do nothing to stop the latter, while impacting people that enjoy a meal out.
It will impact pubs and restaurants who will sell less.
TheWorldIsGoingMad on
I reckon this is yet another case of Starmer and Labour not being in tune with the public, I predict a further negative effect on their popularity :
Why drop the limit, though? If the limit is set at 1 1/2 pints. Anything over is classed as dangerous. You could increase it to 5 pints. The danger is still there. Let’s have a sensible limit. And allow for people to use judgement. And if an accident has happened. 1 1/2 is the legal limit. Anything above. Your f@£<Ed.
parkway_parkway on
If safety is the only priority then we should ban recreational driving.
As in you can drive to work or the hospital.
But you can’t drive to the cinema or the beach.
That would cut deaths a lot, won’t somebody please think of the children?
Fraggle_ninja on
Who is going to enforce this? The tories decimated the police funding and it’s barley increased…
paul_h on
The hundreds of drivers doing 40, 50 and touching 60 on my 30 mph road have not been drinking. They’re doing it principally cos they think they can get away with it. If they get in an accident while they were over 30 mph, they’ll all claim they were not.
Reesno33 on
Seems a bit pointless, If I have one pint with a meal I’m still more alert and faster to react than anyone who’s 60 or older so if a 20-35 year old is “unsafe” after one pint why aren’t all over 60s just completely banned?
Mr-RS182 on
People who drink over the limit and drive will still continue to do so. This policy will only drag people into a conviction of had like a drink with a meal etc.
I think the real solution is not to lower the limit but to have tougher sentencing on people who are convicted at the current limit. Longer bans, fines or prison time.
rennarda on
I honestly think drug driving is a bigger problem. It seems every Amazon delivery van that passes me stinks of weed these days. People gotta wake up and realise that’s a dangerous as drunk driving.
Interesting-Voice328 on
How about an alcohol limit for the House of Commons tested on arrival and leaving.
Budpets on
I don’t drink but I don’t think this will make much difference. The problem is the people drinking a litre of vodka and driving not your average person who has a pint or a glass of wine when out for dinner.
Humble_Dirt_5751 on
People who get smashed don’t care about the law or the rulesÂ
GreyFoxNinjaFan on
The limit isn’t the issue, police numbers and patrols are. Automation doens’t work. People just work around it by installing reflective number plates that can’t be photographed.
I drove from the North into London regularly. Completely uneventful on the way down but as soon as you get to London, people just seem insane.
On the north circular where the speed limit ranges from 30 to 50, the number of just mad manoeuvres people pull is crazy. Speeding, undertaking, tail-gaiting, switching lanes suddenly without warning, flashing and honking at people “in their way”.
Half of them probably coked up to their eyeballs or just pricks that need taking off the road.
Rossmci90 on
I play football and padel with mates twice a week. After the game we go to the pub and have a pint.
We won’t be able to do that anymore. We pose absolutely no danger to anyone, but now that pub has lost a load of business on quiet midweek nights.
28 Comments
Nanny statism. It does nothing to improve safety, just creates more work for police and courts.
There is no reason to do that. It will just negatively affect many people’s enjoyment of life for no significant benefit, Edmund King of the AA has just been on the radio and he was saying that the reduction in blood alcohol levels in Scotland had no significant effect on road accidents. His point was that the great majority of drunk drivers who have serious accidents aren’t just under the previous limit, they’re way over the limit.
[https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/archiveofnews/2018/december/headline_626050_en.html](https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/archiveofnews/2018/december/headline_626050_en.html)
Furthermore the public think the drink drive limit is right where it is :
[https://yougov.co.uk/topics/consumer/survey-results/daily/2025/08/15/10dc4/2](https://yougov.co.uk/topics/consumer/survey-results/daily/2025/08/15/10dc4/2)
Having said all that I think the government will still drop the limit because they, as most politicians are these days, are a bunch of “progressive” authoritarian virtue signalling kill joys : “***Look, we care about people so much, every single life, that we are going to drop the drink drive limit (even if the people don’t want it and has been proved it will make no discernible difference)***”.
Might stop people who have a couple of pints, will not stop those who have a lot more. Final nail in the coffin of country pubs and more money for supermarkets. Nothing like a bit of virtue signalling.
Brace yourselves for the most cretinous people you know complaining about this for years.
I know people on reddit will call for it to be dropped to zero, which means that even having eaten a chocolate liqueur or a Christmas pudding would stop them from driving, but I would really like to see the evidence the government has that this would actually improve things.
How many accidents were there, caused by people between the old limit and the new one? I’d like to see data showing exactly what benefits this will have.
Also, I cannot wait to hear the Labour party bleat on about how they “really care about rural pubs” whilst simultaneously doing this which *will* put many of them out of business. That said, [many pubs have now banned Labour MPs](https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2025/dec/21/pubs-bar-politicians-business-rates-backlash-rural-communities) so I doubt they care if they put them all out of business.
Never seen as much DD as in Wiltshire, it’s the norm for middle class Brits to have a couple of beers at pubs/houses and then drive home. Yet in my 10 years here, not once have I ever been randomly tested or seen roadside checks.
I imagine this will have quite an impact on pubs. I will have 1 pint when driving over a period of around an hour when eating out but with new rules I just won’t drink.
How will this improve road safety.
Drink drivers drunk enough to cause a crash are already over the limit.
Solving a problem that doesn’t really exist. People going for a pint with a meal or something like that aren’t really the problem and the lower limit hasn’t made any difference in Scotland from what I can tell.
People who drive 3x over the current limit will still drink.
People who drive after 1-2 pints with a meal or a small outing will now not drink.
Hmmm.
The UK has practically the safest roads in the world. Only Norway is better.
What has prompted this sudden concern for a problem that isn’t? Could it be some kind of ideological crusade?
I’d like to see proper research and evidence to bolster the government’s case. From what I’ve read dropping the driving limit has had no impact on accident rates.
If I’m driving I have one pint of beer, before moving onto soft drinks. This is a case of performative politics yet again.
For god’s sake! Why do Labour just take, take, take, they’re taking everything away slowly but surely.
I say this as a one time labour voter myself. Never again!
The people that drink drive already know the limit. They just ignore it. Lowering it won’t make a jot of difference. Unless I see a lot of evidence that a lot of accidents are caused by those just under the limit I am very sceptical.
One pint or glass of wine with a meal does not cause a problem. The issue is assholes who drink 5 pints and drive. This change will do nothing to stop the latter, while impacting people that enjoy a meal out.
It will impact pubs and restaurants who will sell less.
I reckon this is yet another case of Starmer and Labour not being in tune with the public, I predict a further negative effect on their popularity :
[Only 27% of people think the present limit is too high, where as 41% think it is about right](https://yougov.co.uk/topics/consumer/survey-results/daily/2025/08/15/10dc4/2)
Why drop the limit, though? If the limit is set at 1 1/2 pints. Anything over is classed as dangerous. You could increase it to 5 pints. The danger is still there. Let’s have a sensible limit. And allow for people to use judgement. And if an accident has happened. 1 1/2 is the legal limit. Anything above. Your f@£<Ed.
If safety is the only priority then we should ban recreational driving.
As in you can drive to work or the hospital.
But you can’t drive to the cinema or the beach.
That would cut deaths a lot, won’t somebody please think of the children?
Who is going to enforce this? The tories decimated the police funding and it’s barley increased…
The hundreds of drivers doing 40, 50 and touching 60 on my 30 mph road have not been drinking. They’re doing it principally cos they think they can get away with it. If they get in an accident while they were over 30 mph, they’ll all claim they were not.
Seems a bit pointless, If I have one pint with a meal I’m still more alert and faster to react than anyone who’s 60 or older so if a 20-35 year old is “unsafe” after one pint why aren’t all over 60s just completely banned?
People who drink over the limit and drive will still continue to do so. This policy will only drag people into a conviction of had like a drink with a meal etc.
I think the real solution is not to lower the limit but to have tougher sentencing on people who are convicted at the current limit. Longer bans, fines or prison time.
I honestly think drug driving is a bigger problem. It seems every Amazon delivery van that passes me stinks of weed these days. People gotta wake up and realise that’s a dangerous as drunk driving.
How about an alcohol limit for the House of Commons tested on arrival and leaving.
I don’t drink but I don’t think this will make much difference. The problem is the people drinking a litre of vodka and driving not your average person who has a pint or a glass of wine when out for dinner.
People who get smashed don’t care about the law or the rulesÂ
The limit isn’t the issue, police numbers and patrols are. Automation doens’t work. People just work around it by installing reflective number plates that can’t be photographed.
I drove from the North into London regularly. Completely uneventful on the way down but as soon as you get to London, people just seem insane.
On the north circular where the speed limit ranges from 30 to 50, the number of just mad manoeuvres people pull is crazy. Speeding, undertaking, tail-gaiting, switching lanes suddenly without warning, flashing and honking at people “in their way”.
Half of them probably coked up to their eyeballs or just pricks that need taking off the road.
I play football and padel with mates twice a week. After the game we go to the pub and have a pint.
We won’t be able to do that anymore. We pose absolutely no danger to anyone, but now that pub has lost a load of business on quiet midweek nights.