Memorandum from The Wine and Spirit Trade
Association (DDD 33)
INTRODUCTION
The Wine and Spirit Trade Association is pleased
to submit written evidence to the Transport Select Committee's
inquiry into drink and drug driving.
The Wine and Spirit Trade Association is the
UK organisation for the wine and spirit industry representing
over 300 companies producing, importing, transporting and selling
wines and spirits.
While the WSTA does have pubs in membership,
we do not speak on behalf of the on-trade and would leave this
to other trade associations who are better placed.
As such we have responded to the Committee's
questions that are within our expertise and that of our members.
CONSULTATION QUESTIONS
Should the permitted blood alcohol limit be reduced
as proposed?
While we do not have the expertise needed to
asses the full impact of the lowering the blood alcohol limit,
it is notable that the UK is experiencing a long term decline
in drink drive fatalities and injury. In the shorter term, fatalities
resulting from drink and drive accidents fell by 5% from 400 in
2008 to 380 in 2009,while total casualties fell by 8% from 12,990
to 11,990.[3]
The UK has a favourable road safety record compared
with many European countries. It seems that there is a good level
of awareness of drink driving in the UK and levels of compliance
with current limits are high and rising. Drink driving is an area
of public health where the success of behavior change campaigns
is proven[4]
and as increased enforcement of the law has been shown to be effective,[5]
an assessment of the outcome of these strategies could be undertaken
before lowering the blood alcohol limit.
If so, is the mandatory one year driving ban appropriate
for less severe offenders, at the new (lower) level?
We believe that consistency in blood alcohol
limits and penalties is preferable, to avoid confusion among drivers.
However, if a lower limit was instituted, a transitional lower
penalty would seem fairer to many drivers.
What wider costs and benefits are likely to result
from changes to drink and drug driving law?
While we do not speak on behalf of the on-trade
and would leave this to other trade associations who are better
placed, we would expect that reducing the blood alcohol limit
would reduce the number of consumers prepared to drive to on-trade
premises in rural locations.
What would be the implications of such changes
for enforcement?
Instituting a lower blood alcohol limit would
require a significant public awareness campaign to inform drivers
of the change to the law. Making the change meaningful would necessitate
an increase in enforcement,[6]
however it is worth nothing that increased enforcement in itself
has been successful in reducing level of drink driving.[7]
Levels of breath testing have already increased
19% between 2007 and 2008,[8]
as the Government rolls out new digital recording equipment. The
impact of this could be assessed before changes are made to the
blood alcohol limit.
August 2010
3 Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain: 2009 estimates
for accidents involving illegal alcohol levels, 5 August 2010. Back
4
Elder R W, Shults R A, Sleet D A et al (2004) Effectiveness
of mass media campaigns for reducing drinking and driving and
alcohol-involved crashes: a systematic review (brief record).
American Journal of Preventive Medicine 27 (1). Back
5
North, P, Report of the Review of Drink and Drug Driving Law,
June 2010, Para 3.20. Back
6
NICE. Review of effectiveness of laws limiting blood alcohol concentration
levels to reduce alcohol-related road injuries and deaths. 2010. Back
7
North, P, Report of the Review of Drink and Drug Driving Law,
June 2010, Para 3.20. Back
8
Police Powers and Procedures England and Wales 2008-09, 15 April
2010, p 65. Back
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