The government has confirmed it will not be lowering the drink-drive limit, despite a recommendation from a top QC.
A report fom Sir Peter North last year called for the limit to be lowered to 50mg per 100ml of blood.
But the Department of Transport has today officially rejected this call and said it will instead focus on "improving enforcement and education to tackle the drink and drug drivers who put lives at risk".
These measures include:
• revoking the right for people whose breath test result is less than 40 per cent over the limit to opt for a blood test
• introducing a more "robust" drink-drive rehabilitation scheme
• Streamlining the procedure for testing drink drivers in hospital
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said: "The number of drink driving deaths has fallen by more than 75 per cent since 1979.
"But drink driving still kills hundreds of people so we need to take tough action against the small minority of drivers who flagrantly ignore the limit… we are therefore taking forward a package of measures which will streamline enforcement, helping the police to target these most dangerous offenders and protect law-abiding road users."
Th DoT response also answers a report from the Transport committee last December. But the committee did not agree with North's cut in the drink-drive limit, saying it would send out "mixed messages".
However, the government has said today it will look at introducing a new drug-driving offence, alongside the existing one, and improve detection equipment.