THREE quarters of UK drivers want a lower drink drive limit, according to a survey published today (Friday, December 19) by road safety charity Brake and insurance company Direct Line.

In the wake of Scotland lowering its drink drive limit earlier this month, the appetite clearly exists for the rest of the UK to follow suit, and ideally go further by introducing a zero-tolerance limit.

In the UK-wide survey of 1,000 drivers three in ten said the UK should get in line with Scotland and most of the EU by lowering the limit to 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

Two in five said the UK should go further by introducing a limit of 20mg per 100ml – effectively zero-tolerance – as in a number of EU countries, including road safety leaders Sweden.

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive of Brake, said: “It is often said that the UK has some of the safest roads in the world, but there is no room for complacency, not least on drink driving, which remains one of the biggest killers.

"The UK has now slipped off the top of the European road safety rankings, and without critical progress, including the introduction of a zero-tolerance drink drive limit, we will be left further behind.”

This research comes after police arrested 94 drink drivers across West Mercia and Warwickshire in the first two weeks of December alone, with one offender almost five times over the limit.