Motorists want tougher sentences and instant roadside bans for drink-driving, says RAC

Harsher sentences and letting police ban people on the spot are among the most popular ways to tackle drink-driving, according to the RAC.

Around two in five motorists surveyed (38%) wanted tougher penalties for an offence that contributed to an estimated 300 deaths in 2022.

The minimum driving ban is currently 12 months (three years if convicted twice in 10 years), and in some cases there can be a six-month jail sentence and unlimited fine.

However, a ban can only be imposed at a court hearing - meaning people caught over the limit can continue driving until then.

Giving police the power to immediately ban drivers was also a popular option in the survey - with 33% choosing it.

Meanwhile, 34% said they would like to see the alcohol limit for driving cut to zero.

The limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 80mg in 100ml of blood - but nowhere else in Europe has a limit above 50mg.

Scotland's stricter blood alcohol limit of 50mg has been in place since 2014.

A recent campaign by road safety organisation Think! urged young drivers to stick to zero-alcohol drinks when driving over the Christmas period.

Official figures in September showed nearly 28,000 people had been caught drink-driving more than once - with 372 caught at least four times.

Road safety groups said the figures highlighted the need for ministers to consider forcing reoffenders to have breathalysers fitted to their cars.

A device called an Alcolock can prevent a car from starting unless a person passes a breath test.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said he hoped the government's new road safety strategy would address the issue as it's clear drivers want a new approach to drink-driving.

"Shockingly, government data shows we're back to a similar rate of fatalities caused by people drinking and driving as we were in the late 1980s," he said.

The potential penalties for killing someone when driving over the limit include life imprisonment and a ban of at least five years.

Chief Constable Jo Shiner, from the National Police Chiefs' Council, said: "We see the damaging impact of drink and drug driving all too often, and every fatality or serious injury which happens as a consequence of this is completely avoidable."

Read more from Sky News:
Driver jailed for killing three passengers after inhaling laughing gas
Head banned after school trip where 'girl was blackmailed into sex'

A Department for Transport spokesperson said there were already "strict penalties" for people caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

They added: "We are committed to reducing the number of those killed and injured on our roads, which is why we will deliver a new road safety strategy - the first in over a decade."

The RAC research involved asking nearly 2,700 people to choose three preferred options out of eight for dealing with drink-driving.

(c) Sky News 2024: Motorists want tougher sentences and instant roadside bans for drink-driving, says RAC