The research follows the introduction of Scotland’s lower drink drive limit earlier this month and shows a clear appetite for the rest of the UK to follow suit.

In the UK-wide survey of 1,000 drivers, three in ten (31%) said the UK should get in line with Scotland and most of the EU by lowering the limit to 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood (50mg/100ml) – a limit also set to come into force in Northern Ireland next year;

And more than two in five (43%) said the UK should go further by introducing a limit of 20mg/100ml – effectively zero-tolerance – as in a number of EU countries, including road safety leaders Sweden.

The research follows RAC research that found company car drivers are twice as likely to drink drive.

Brake and Direct Line’s survey also found almost unanimous support for tougher measures to tackle repeat drink drive offenders, who currently face the same penalty no matter how many times they are caught:

• Almost all (95%) drivers agreed repeat offenders should face higher penalties;
• Nine in ten (89%) said repeat offenders should have “alcohol interlocks” fitted to their vehicles to stop them starting the engine without passing a breath test.

Brake is calling for longer sentences – up to two years – and alcohol interlocks combined with rehabilitation for repeat offenders to help cut reoffending. Currently, one in eight drink drivers and three in 10 “high risk offenders” do it again.

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive, 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.’