Alcohol Policy UK

Scotland's drink-drive limit reduction - ineffective in isolation?

A new study published in the Lancet indicates the lowering of Scotland's drink-drive limit in 2014 to 50mg has not resulted in a reduction of Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs), though it suggests this may be due to a lack of supporting enforcement and campaigns.

Jim Lewsey, Professor of Medical Statistics, at the University’s Institute of Health and Wellbeing, said the findings were "surprising" given previous international evidence, which "generally supports a reduction of RTAs following the same lowering of a blood alcohol concentration limit", and that:

Drink drive figures for 2018: will a new national alcohol strategy respond?

[EDIT: Latest figures September 2018 here]

The latest figures for alcohol-related road accidents and causalities were released earlier this month, indicating a 7% rise on the previous year and the highest level since 2012. Whilst long term trends show drink driving has declined significantly, more recent rises have led to calls from some groups to revise the drink driving limit.

The statistics from the Department for Transport (DfT) show that in 2016 an estimated 9,040 people were killed or injured in drink-drive accidents, a rise of 7% from 8,470 in 2015. The total number of accidents where at least one driver or rider was over the legal alcohol limit rose by 6% to 6,070 in 2016. The final estimate of drink-drive fatalities of 230 for 2016 is higher than in 2015, but the rise was reported as not statistically significant and fatalities appear stable since 2012.

News & updates July 2018: flying and boating; University AA, alcoholocks, marketing & more

Selected media stories since the June update:

A government-backed campaign to prevent inebriated passengers from boarding airplanes is being rolled out at ten airports – Gatwick, Stansted, Birmingham, East Midlands, Manchester, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Southampton, Bristol and Newcastle. The One Too Many initiative, where passengers will see warnings about alcohol consumption posted on digital display screens, will be shown in duty-free shops and leaflets handed out by the police. Telegraph

NUS Wales president Gwyneth Sweatman said Cardiff University's successful Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings means they should be rolled out across all universities, reports the BBC. An AA trustee said the number of younger attendees at meetings was rising each year. However Professor Tony Moss Tweeted the article missed two important points; firstly that not all alcohol problems are dependence, and secondly that AA is just one form of support drinkers might seek.

News & updates June 2018: airports, teenagers, U-shaped curves, consumption & more

Selected media stories since the May roundup:

A forthcoming consultation on how alcohol is sold at airports has been reported. With increasing numbers of alcohol-related problems on flights and at airports over recent years, calls have been made to review the licensing exemptions at airports. A Home Office spokesperson said: “We will issue a Call for Evidence to assess the impact that an extension of the Licensing Act to airside premises at airports in England and Wales could have on reducing alcohol-related disruptive passenger behaviour.”

The “smoke and mirror” tactics of defence lawyers in drink-driving cases have been criticised by the government’s forensic science regulator, who has launched an investigation into the work of a number of expert witnesses. Guardian

Statistics on Alcohol England 2018 & latest OPN drinking figures

The annual Statistics on Alcohol for England 2018 has been released, detailing national data for key alcohol-related indicators and health harms.

Mainly bringing together recent alcohol data releases, the overall trends remain suggesting stabilisation of overall consumption and harm measures such as alcohol-related hospital admissions. As before though, significant variations exists between age groups, gender, regions, income and other factors. The measures used are also important as the 'broad' measure of alcohol-related admissions suggest an increase on last year, whilst the 'narrow' measure suggests a fall for the first time. Meanwhile, the final release of the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, focusing on drinking in the last week, will no longer continue.

Key figures from the national statistics release include:

News & updates October 2017: soberocracy, hangover-free prosecco, gin pong, rise of the micropub

Selected news and media stories since the September roundup:

We are witnessing the rise of a 'soberocracy' suggested the Telegraph at the start of Macmillan Cancer Support's 'Go Sober for October' initiative, whose popularity, and that of Alcohol Concern's 'Dry January', make 'the seemingly ingrained British belief that nights out and nights in both require alcohol [look] increasingly anachronistic'.

Drink drive figures: cause for concern in 2017?

Further attention on the national drink driving limit in England and Wales has been prompted by a rise in the number of people seriously injured in drink drive accidents, whilst a recent RAC survey reports most people support a lowering of legal limit.

The statistics from the Department for Transport (DfT) show 1,170 serious injuries in reported drink drive accidents in 2015, up from 1,070 the previous year, which follows reports of a rise in failed road side breath tests in the same year. Whilst drink drive related fatalities fell by 40 to 200, the DfT says only the injury figures had statistical significance with the trend in number of deaths appearing stable since 2010.

News & updates June 2017: Welsh MUP, white wine, gin lollies, diabetes and hayfever

Selected news and media stories since the May roundup: 

BBC News reported that plans to introduce a new law setting a minimum price for alcohol in Wales could be revived by the Welsh Government, depending on the result of a Supreme Court challenge against similar plans by the Scottish Government.  Meanwhile, the number of alcohol-related deaths in Wales has stabilised following a significant rise towards the end of the last decade, reported WalesOnline.

News & updates March 2017: moderate drinking benefits?, marketing to children; labelling; fraud; & the Brexit booze cruise

Selected media stories since the February roundup:

The question of 'Is moderate drinking good for the heart?' returned to the headlines following new research finding non-drinkers were more likely to need treatment for certain cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack, heart failure and angina, compared to people who drank alcohol within the previous weekly guidelines of 21 and 14 units per week for men and women. An NHS 'behind the headlines' analysis though emphasised such studies cannot prove alcohol consumption or lack of it is a direct cause of cardiovascular disease as non-drinkers were more likely to be from deprived areas, to have diabetes or be obese.

IAS Alert March 2017: white cider duty, drink drive limit, EU labelling call, moderate drinking benefits?

The latest Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) Alcohol Alert: March 2017 is now available (here for PDF version). Read the editorial here and articles below:

• TOP STORY: Treasury opens consultation on new tax band for white cider
• Drink-drive limit should be lowered, LGA says
• 1 in 4 adults in England drink at harmful levels
• Women & Alcohol seminar held in London
• European Commission calls for alcohol labelling
• Alcohol IBA e-learning scheme updated
• Moderate drinking linked to lower risk of some – but not all – heart conditions
• Bereaved through Alcohol and Drugs website launched
• ALCOHOL SNAPSHOT: Modest progress on alcohol-related health inequalities in Scotland