In a major overhaul of the UK’s road safety laws, ministers are also considering tougher penalties for uninsured drivers and those who fail to wear a seatbelt, according to The Times.
Last year, 1,633 people were killed and almost 28,000 seriously injured in traffic incidents, and numbers have remained relatively constant following a large fall between 2000 and 2010.
The i Paper examines the potential changes for drivers under the plans.
This figure would be in line with Scotland, which cut its drink-drive limit in 2014, and the rest of Europe, where no other country has a limit as high as that in England and Wales.
The Government is also reportedly going to look to make it easier for police to bring a prosecution against someone found to be drug-driving. It will do this by allowing forces to rely on roadside saliva tests for evidence, instead of blood tests.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said “more clearly needs to be done” to tackle drink-driving, adding that: “Data for Scotland suggests merely reducing the legal drink-drive limit isn’t enough.
Being caught drink driving in the UK carries serious penalties. A conviction can carry an up to six-month jail sentence, an unlimited fine and a driving ban of at least one year.
Anyone convicted of drug driving may get a minimum of one year driving ban, an unlimited fine, up to six months in prison, and a criminal record.
Ministers are considering cutting the drink-drive limit in England and Wales and introducing mandatory eye tests for older drivers (Photo: PA)
Mandatory eye tests for older drivers
Drivers over the age of 70 would be banned from the roads if they fail compulsory eye tests taken every three years, when they renew their licence, according to the report.
The number of drivers over 60 involved in crashes where someone is killed or seriously injured on UK roads has risen by 47 per cent since 2010.
Anyone caught driving after a failed eye test would be doing so illegally and could therefore face criminal proceedings.
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Currently, people driving a vehicle without insurance risk a fixed penalty of £300 and six points on their licence – figures which would likely be raised under the new proposals. If the case goes to court, there is a possibility of an unlimited fine and disqualification.
As a vehicle passes an ANPR camera, it is automatically scanned and checked against a database of other vehicles of interest to help identify those without insurance or licences.
Harsher punishment for failing to wear a seatbelt
Currently, people can be fined up to £500 for not wearing a seatbelt. Passengers who have a driving licence and are not wearing a seatbelt could get two points. These figures would increase under the new plans.
The percentage of all those killed in road traffic accidents who were not wearing a seatbelt has risen from 21 per cent in 2014 to 25 per cent in 2023, or 40 per cent for back-seat passengers.
There were 142 non-seatbelt-wearing fatalities in 2020, compared with 181 in 2023 – a 27 per cent increase.
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