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Zero limit for young drivers?
28-07-2008 - Steve Baker
The legal blood alcohol limit should be cut to zero for drivers aged 17 to 20, England's chief medical officer says.
Sir Liam Donaldson said in his annual report that although there was a risk the move would be unpopular among young people, it would improve road safety.
Drink-drive laws are under review in the UK with data showing 14 youngsters die each week in car accidents.
The legal limit in the UK is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, which is much higher than many other European countries.
Alcohol bans for young drivers are also in place across the continent, while states in Australia and the US have similar rules.
Sir Liam said such a move here would not require a major increase in policing and would represent a "sensible public health measure".
There were over 1,000 drink-drive accidents involving teenagers last year, while transport accidents are a leading cause of death for that age group.
Research shows that alcohol use increases the risk of a crash for young drives 2.5 times more than it does for older drives.
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