Alcohol and transport

On this page:

• Drink driving
• Alcohol in airports
• References

Shifting attitudes and behaviours

One of the most significant changes in British drinking culture over the last 40 years has been the decline in drink driving. Driving under the influence was not a social taboo before the invention of the breathalyser, the introduction of new laws on blood alcohol limits, and the use of hard-hitting information campaigns.

Today, while drink driving remains the cause of far too many injuries and deaths, our social norms have mostly changed. There is greater awareness that alcohol increases our risk of injuries and fatalities by impairing our ability to drive.

However, drink driving still causes many preventable injuries and fatalities. We have seen that these can be reduced, but to cut them further we need to address the anomaly in our system and bring our law into alignment with the rest of the world.

What is the drink drive limit in the UK?

The legal drink driving limit differs across the United Kingdom. There are also different ways of understanding how much alcohol is in our system, as set out by the relevant legislation:

England and Wales have one of the highest legal limits in the world, as most countries have BAC limits between zero and 0.05%.¹ Seven countries in the European Union have BAC limits between zero and 0.02%.² The legal drink driving limit in England and Wales has not changed since 1967.

What does the evidence show?

There is clear evidence that lowering the legal limit will reduce road collisions and save lives:

Evidence from Scotland, which has had a lower BAC limit of 0.05% since 5 December 2014, suggests that lowering the limit should be accompanied by access to cheaper, alternative transport and adequate law enforcement.^{7 8}

What does the public think?

Public polling has consistently shown support for lowering the legal drink driving limit. In 2023, when asked if they would support changing the legal limit for blood alcohol concentration for drivers to 0mg/100 ml, essentially a zero tolerance for drink-driving:

What does Alcohol Change UK think?

We agree with the public that it if we choose to drink alcohol, we should not be driving.

We support reducing the limit to 0.02% BAC.

This is essentially a “zero-tolerance” limit, which allows for low but traceable levels of alcohol which may exist in someone’s body, and for minimal presence of alcohol, like if someone has used mouthwash or certain medications.

Currently, the existing 0.08% BAC limit makes some people think that they can drive after having one or two drinks, trying to figure out how long it will take for the alcohol to leave their system depending on how much they’ve eaten, their body weight, and other factors. A 0.02% BAC limit sends a much clearer message – “don’t drink and drive” – and we know that clear messaging results in better outcomes.

In the UK, any premises selling alcohol needs to be licensed. This has been the case for centuries and allows for basic controls on the way alcohol is sold and maintained. The one exception to this is airports, where – once airside – licensing laws no longer apply.

This is a clear anomaly that needs to be addressed. This is not to say that alcohol should be banned from airports – though, given the rising levels of alcohol-related disorder passengers suffer on flights, there are growing calls for some kind of restriction to be introduced. It is, rather, to ask that airport operators follow the same rules as every other alcohol retailer in the country. Anyone selling alcohol should be licensed to do so, and the conditions of that licence should be adhered to. There is no reason why that should apply less in an airport than anywhere else.

Last updated: February 2026

[1] World Health Organization (2024). Alcohol policy, drink driving: legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits.

[2] European Transport Safety Council (n.d.). Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) Drink Driving Limits across Europe.

[3] Moskowitz, H., and Florentino, D. (2000). A Review of the Literature on the Effects of Low Doses of Alcohol on Driving-Related Skills. US Department of Transportation.

[4] NICE (2010). Review of effectiveness of laws limiting blood alcohol concentration levels to reduce alcohol-related road injuries and deaths. Centre for Public Health.

[5] Ogden, E. J. D., and Moskowitz, H. (2004). Effects of Alcohol and Other Drugs on Driver Performance. Traffic Injury Prevention, 5(3), pp. 185-198.

[6] NICE (2010). Review of effectiveness of laws limiting blood alcohol concentration levels to reduce alcohol-related road injuries and deaths. Centre for Public Health.

[7] Francesconi, M., and James, J. (2021). None for the Road? Stricter Drink Driving Laws and Road Accidents. Journal of Health Economics, 79, 102487.

[8] Haghpanahan, H., Lewsey, J., Mackay, D. F., et al. (2019). An evaluation of the effects of lowering blood alcohol concentration limits for drivers on the rates of road traffic accidents and alcohol consumption: a natural experiment. The Lancet, 393(10169), pp. 321-329.

[9] UCL TARG (2026). Alcohol in England – Annual Findings.

[10] UCL TARG (2026). Alcohol in Wales – Annual Findings.

[11] UCL TARG (2026). Alcohol in Scotland – Annual Findings.