The Police Federation have called for England and Wales to follow Scotland and lower the drink driving limit.
The Police Federation, who represents rank-and-file officers, wants to see the limit brought down from 80mg of alcohol in 100ml to just 50mg.
Experts have estimated that a 50mg limit would mean an average man would not be able to exceed a pint of beer or a large glass of wine and women would only need to have half a pint of beer or a small glass of wine before they are near to the suggested limit.
Victoria Martin, a chief inspector working at the federation, told the Daily Telegraph: “We would like to see a lower drink-drive limit, as most other European countries have, as well as Scotland, which saw a marked reduction in failed breathalyser tests as soon as the law was changed last year.
“We would like to see road safety back on the national and local agenda.”
This call comes after figures from Social Research Associates showed that nearly one in six women who answered a survey admitted to driving when they thought they were over the limit. The survey also suggested that 17% of all drink-driving convictions in 2012 involved women, up from 9% in 1998.
Ms Martin continued “We’ve seen a steep decline in men drink-driving over the years, with targeted advertising campaigns, which is great, but women don’t seem to be getting the same message.
“It seems we have a worrying trend, with females still flouting the drink-drive limit, sometimes scarily unaware, putting themselves and others in danger as well as adding to the drain on police resources.”
May, 20, 2015