The call comes from the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), which is highlighting that aside from Malta, the UK has the highest drink-drive limit in the EU with a legal blood alcohol limit of 80mg. With Scotland having already lowered its drink drive limit to 50mg, and Wales and Northern Ireland intending to follow suit, the pressure is now on for England to take action.

In new research for RSPH, two-thirds of motorists who admit to drink-driving reveal that that if the legal limit was lowered any further, they wouldn’t bother drinking as they would be unsure of the correct amount to drink, or the amount they could legally consume would become so low it wouldn’t be worth it.

Shirley Cramer CBE, chief executive of RSPH, said: “We believe that the UK should follow the lead of Scotland and the majority of EU countries and adopt a lower limit. The evidence is that this will lead to a drop in alcohol-related road traffic accidents and our research would suggest that a further reduction would encourage many motorists just not to take the risk of drink-driving.”

Backing the call, Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland said: “The Scottish Government acted on the evidence that a lower drink-drive limit would prevent accidents and save lives. It’s time for the UK government to follow suit.

“There is already a positive impact in Scotland, with fewer drivers endangering themselves, other road users and pedestrians. Even a little alcohol can affect our ability to drive safely, so avoiding drinking completely before driving is the safest option.”