Ross MSP welcomes drink-drive breakthrough
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AN MSP who has campaigned to reduce the legal drink-drive limit for the past five years is today celebrating a breakthrough.
Dave Thompson, the constituency MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, has welcomed news that the Scottish Government will reduce the limit.
Twenty-four European countries have already reduced the limit to 50mg or less - and the UK is one of only three countries which has not.
The 2012 Scotland Act gave the Scottish Government the power to change the limit and the Scottish Government plans to lower the limit from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg as a matter of priority.
Drink-driving has previously been described as "the scourge of Ross-shire" by one veteran police officer.
Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill said the change would be effected as soon as possible.
Mr Thompson said: “The Scottish Government’s announcement is the culmination of five years of campaigning to see the limit of drink-driving reduced in Scotland.
"It is well-known that reducing the limit saves lives and with 24 other European countries already implementing a reduction in drink driving it was unreasonable that the Westminster Government did not use its power to reduce the limit.
“Finally, we have been given the power in Scotland to do something about drink driving and I am delighted that only a week after implementing a minimum price per unit of alcohol, the Scottish Government has chosen to prioritise lowering the limit of drink driving.
"This does mean of course that we have to put more effort into grouping together and nominating a driver when going out for a drink but this is a small price to pay for saving lives.”
He added: “The longer we wait, the more fatalities which are caused by drink driving. I am glad that the Justice Secretary is choosing to lower the limit as a matter of urgency so that we can reduces the number of deaths on Scotland’s roads.”
