It is a quite the coincidence that, just as I took up my Presidency with the BMA last July, there happened to be a motion passed at the BMA annual representative meeting on the harms of drink driving – indeed also on the wider heath harms of alcohol and other drugs.

After years of seeing the harm first-hand in my patients, I decided 17 years ago to set up an advocacy group – the AHA (Alcohol Health Alliance) – and tackling drink-driving has been one of our calls ever since.

The BMA is a valued AHA member (there are now more than 60 organisations supporting us), and to have the BMA taking a lead on this is exciting.  So, what are the issues?

Alcohol and drug use harms individuals, society, and our public services

Figures show that deaths owing to alcohol and other drugs throughout the UK are some of the highest they’ve been on record. This harm is not equally felt in our communities: people living in the most deprived areas of the UK are more severely impacted in terms of mortality and morbidity from alcohol and drug-related causes than those in the least deprived areas, despite similar or lower levels of consumption.

Drink and drug driving is one of the contributors to the overall harm and its impacts extend beyond the individuals to other road users as well as their loved ones, and negatively impacts our public services, in a time when capacity is already stretched to breaking point.

The impact of drink and drug driving on our society is preventable and we must take action

England, Wales, and Northern Ireland currently have the highest legal BAC (blood alcohol content) limit for driving in Europe, at 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. Drink driving caused 260 fatalities in 2021 in Great Britain, the highest it has been since 2009. Drink driving is estimated to cost Great Britain around £800 million each year. While we don’t have an estimate of costs of drug driving, these collisions in Great Britain have escalated by over 60% between 2014 to 2019, painting an incredibly bleak picture of the current situation.

Change, however, is possible. Countries that have taken steps to reduce the levels of drink and drug driving, including through reducing the blood alcohol limit for driving, have seen improvements in the rate of road traffic collisions and fatalities caused by driving under the influence.

Hundreds of lives could be saved by taking action to stop drink and drug driving and implementing all necessary policy measures before the problem worsens. The first step is recognising that the levels of collisions, casualties and fatalities caused by driving under the influence are unacceptable. The next is to fight for tangible change.

A consensus statement to build momentum to reduce the harm caused driving under the influence

The BMA was delighted to work with medical professional bodies, alcohol harm and road safety charities and campaign groups, and police and emergency services, to develop a consensus statement on alcohol drugs and driving. The statement includes recommendations around:

• Lowering the BAC limit for driving
• Ensuring enforcement and educating the public
• Increasing alcohol and drug treatment service capacity and capabilities and directing to those services
• Implementing other preventative policies such as mandatory labelling of all alcohol products to include health risks and warnings not to drive if drinking.

The statement also stresses the need to situate drink and drug driving harm in the context of the wider harms caused by alcohol and other drugs and associated health inequalities. It calls on governments across the UK to recognise that measures must be implemented alongside legislative, regulatory and public health measures that address the harm from alcohol and other drugs more broadly.  

With a General Election imminent, we have a real opportunity to push the next UK Government and the Devolved Administrations to take action to save lives. With the British Medical Association leading and the support of the Alcohol Health Alliance, surely the shameful position of the UK in having the highest drink-driving limit in Europe can be put right.

Sir Ian Gilmore is president of the BMA