Medical chiefs today backed Scottish Government calls for drink-drive laws to be toughened up.

Medical chiefs today backed Scottish Government calls for drink-drive laws to be toughened up.

MSPs will be asked to endorse a reduction from the current 80mg limit per 100 millilitres of blood to 50mg in Parliament later today.

Holyrood has no power in this area, with drink-drive laws currently the responsibility of Westminster.

The First Minister told MSPs at Holyrood last week that the consultation document on road safety compliance, published on November 20, did not include a "direct question" on lowering the limit.

But this prompted Labour's Richard Baker to claim he had "misled Parliament" over the issue.

"It's another example of cynical SNP spin - but taken to a new level," Mr Baker said.

"The consultation from the UK Government is clear - it is about five specific aspects of road safety, one of which is drink driving.

"And in that section, there are two questions directly and explicitly about changing the limit - and asking for views and evidence to support it.

"As well as being in the main document, it is early on in the executive summary is anyone from the SNP had bothered to read it."

He claimed the SNP is playing "party politics" with the issue.

"They just want to set up division with Westminster," he said.

But First Minister Alex Salmond told MSPs last week it was time to look again at the limit which was set 40 years ago.

Dr Sally Winning, of the BMA's Scottish Council, said today: "Doctors see and treat the tragic consequences of avoidable road accidents caused by drink-driving and therefore believe that there is really no excuse for keeping the level at 80mg.

"Almost every European country has a 50mg or lower limit and the UK needs to follow this lead.

"Every death represents a family tragedy and every serious injury can be devastating for the person involved and their relatives."

The BMA believe the measure could prevent as many as 65 deaths on the UK's roads every year.

BMA Scotland also says police should be allowed to carry out roadside random breath tests. Currently only drivers suspected of being over the limit can be tested by police.

Mr Salmond hit out at a recent UK consultation on road safety which did not touch on the possibility of lowering the existing drink-drive limit when he was quizzed on the issue at First Minister's Questions last week.