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Ahead of the Christmas season, the legal blood alcohol level in Scotland has been reduced from 80mg to 50mg per 100ml of blood.

The new limit of 50mg of alcohol per 100ml blood, which is effective from 5th December 2014, is in-line with Northern Ireland and much of Europe, the limit in England and Wales is unchanged at 80mg.

Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish justice secretary, commented that there was broad support to reduce the drink-drive limit in Scotland, with a previous government consultation showing that close to three quarters of the public backed the proposed change. 

This lower limit means drivers are in danger of breaking the law if they have drunk even a small glass of wine or one pint of beer.

MacAskill added: “The support comes not just from the police and law enforcement. It comes from those involved in road safety.”

This move has been welcomed by many organisations including RoSPA, a safety charity that has been at the heart of accident prevention for nearly 100 years http://www.rospa.com/news/releases/detail/?id=1341