We have a new set of proposals for changes to UK motoring law in the press yesterday, prominently around eyesight for the elderly, and a slightly lower drink driving limit. It is actually more comprehensive than that, and is being framed by the Government as a “Road Safety Strategy”. This piece is some initial reflections – a “quick take”, so not as heavily referenced as I would like.

The Starmer Government have been talking about different issues in a piecemeal way for some time, and this set of proposals seem to me to be gathering them together. Personally I would prefer a more Blair-like strategy – in around 2001 Tony Blair set a goal to halve road deaths in 10 years, and they achieved it early. 

Since 2010 UK road deaths have essentially plateaued. I would prefer a further strategy of “1) We will reduce road deaths by half, 2) What do we need to do?, 3) Do it”. But we are where we are, and I’ll take what I can get.

England, Wales and Northern Ireland are currently the European outliers at our current drink driving limit. Even Malta, if I have it right, have now cut their limit by 1/3. Media coverage will be around complaints such as “I just want a pint or two and to drive home”. I would frame it differently – in the UK drink-driving is legal, because the research base shows significant impairment at levels of blood alcohol at just a fraction of our current limit.

We have research going back years that perception is significantly impaired by far lower levels of alcohol, which is one reason why I would argue that a 2/3 reduction in blood alcohol level is a no-brainer, 4/5 is very justifiable, and an effective zero level is defensible.

The current proposal is a blood alcohol limit of 50 mg/ml. Even driving with a blood alcohol level of 20-50 mg/ml increases likelihood of death on the road by 3x, compared to being sober. At a blood alcohol level of 50-80 mg/ml (ie BELOW the current limit), there is a 6x likelihood of involvement in a fatal crash. The data is in, the case is made, and we just need to implement the change.

Equally seriously, there is valid concern that drink driving is becoming culturally acceptable again in some groups, even alongside younger generations tending to drink less. This modest reduction (of roughly 1/3 in DD limit) is an aim to change the culture, which is good but requires other measures in my view.

Preventing crime such as DUI is a matter of likelihood of detection, and likelihood of enforcement, framed by perceptions of limits of acceptable behaviour. I’d suggest that greater resources on enforcement are sensible, and for that I would expect a higher policing priority, dedicated police teams – DD enforcement is for life, not just for Christmas, breath tests at closing time and at random, and tightening up on punishments. 

That requires two further items. Firstly an increase in police funding, which we would all want but some may not like politically; that is a tricky question. And secondly something little known – Mr Blair removed “traffic policing” as a specialist professional role; I would reverse that. Traffic police have declined in numbers significantly since 2000, and we need them back especially for offences which require a presence such as catching drugged drivers.

On 3-year year eyesight tests at age 70, this seems a clear benefit to me. There was an options paper in the last Conservative Govt, so much groundwork has been done already – and the cost-benefit analysis added up. Driving Casualty rates rise more from age 75, so I would be comfortable with either threshold. I already have a 3-year medical driving license, so the basic infrastructure and methods are in place.

Politically, this builds on the “width” of the strategy. Last year we had a focus on youth around eg carrying passengers when 17 and night driving. Eyesight tests are something politically obvious at the other end of the age spectrum.

A move which is not considered enough is to provide alternatives such that older people have less incentive to deceive themselves and the authorities about deteriorating eyesight. If travel without driving becomes practical and safer, we do not need to use motor vehicles as much – and both drink driving and elderly driving are, in measure, needed less. 

That won’t remove all incentive, but over time and with commitment it can make a big difference. That speaks to measures such as making sure that we have a high quality network of off road travel options everywhere, and perhaps also to more varied vehicles such as cyclecars or microcars – where the UK has always been restrictive. This is a debate for another day.

Politically, I have a concern that it feels quite tactical, which is characteristic of Mr Starmer, where he is more sure-footed on long-term “beneath the surface” measures. This feels to me to be driven by Coroners’ Reports, and stories of multiple deaths in cars driven by drunks and druggies and youth. Those are good reasons, but it’s not a strategy.

The current attempt to address classification of mobility aids is similar. This has been neglected for decades and decades by all parties, and has been partly triggered by incidents of police locking up wheelchairs in the vehicle pound for weeks because they do not understand what they are. This leaves wheelchair users stuck at home just as if police had confiscated prosthetic legs from an amputee.

One deterrent move the Courts could make, if legislated for, is far greater use of longer suspensions on jail sentences, as happens in Ireland. At present the UK limit is “suspended for 2 years”; if it were “another DD offence in 5 or 7 or 10 years, and the punishment comes back”, that could be a long-term incentive to good behaviour. There is also a much larger place for repeated courses of driving lessons, and extended tests, before the privilege of holding a driving license is recovered.

This a good starting set of proposals, but to me it is (some of) the obvious stuff to catch up with 15 or 20 years of missed opportunities. 

So, it is likely to be one or two cheers from me for this set of proposals.

Matt W

References:

Road safety charity BRAKE on drink drive limits:
https://www.brake.org.uk/get-involved/take-action/mybrake/knowledge-centre/drink-driving