WITH the Government’s reduction in the drink drive limit in Scotland not having any effect on the number of road deaths in Scotland while in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with the limit remaining at the previous higher limit, a reduction in road deaths was seen, it is argued (Letters, December 15) that the data used to justify the lower limit in Scotland was irrelevant. I suggest that one reason for this is that we are bumping along the bottom and small increases and decreases in road deaths in the UK will continue regardless of the differences between the drink drive limit in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK.
To compare drink drive limits in the rest of Europe and further afield and the effect this had initially in reducing road deaths there is also, I suggest, irrelevant. Road deaths in the UK are among the lowest in the world relative to population. Much lower than France, Germany, or Italy where the drink drive limit is where Scotland is now. Basically, we in the UK are generally much safer drivers than are found overseas so that reducing the drink drive limit has had no effect on the death toll. It is not the drivers between 50 and 80mg alcohol per 100ml of blood who are causing the deaths. It is those who are well above the 80 mg limit.
One effect of the change in Scotland’s drink drive limit has been to cause country restaurants, pubs, and golf clubs to see a marked decrease in income leading, in some cases, to complete closure. I suppose it will be politically impossible for our Government to revert to the previous drink drive limit but this is logically what should happen. Suggestions from some that increased testing, perhaps even random testing, will reduce our death toll is, again, irrelevant. It focusses on the wrong thing. Reductions in road deaths occur when roads and cars are made safer. We have history to rely on for confirmation.
Colin Gunn,
259 Kingsacre Road, Glasgow.
FURTHER to David Stubley’s letter about the dubiety of the reduction in drink driving limits, how many people are aware of another potential foot-shooting exercise being run through Holyrood, the Proposed Restricted Roads (20mph Limit) (Scotland) Bill.
This proposes to replace the existing 30mph limit in built-up areas with an across the board 20mph limit.
This bill was lodged May 2017 and consultation ended September last year. I was made aware of this a couple of weeks ago and had a meeting with my MSP John Scott. It looks like I am too late to have a say at any public forum.
The people backing this proposal are Brake, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, Glasgow Centre for Population Health and Living Streets. They all advise that a reduction in the traffic speed of 1mph would cause a reduction of accidents of five per cent. Extrapolating this, a reduction in speed of 20mph would stop accidents altogether. So reduce the speed limit to 10mph.
They propose that this would improve exhaust pollution. At 30mph most vehicles are in fourth or fifth gear, at 20mph they would be down at least one gear.
Another potential Holyrood sore foot.
Iain Ferguson,
12 Ferguson Avenue, Prestwick.
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