EU urges Ireland to cut drink-driving limit

The European Commission has called on Ireland and three other EU member states to reduce their drink-driving limit to the equivalent of one pint of beer. The commission said a limit of 0.5 mg of alcohol per ml of blood could cut drink-related road deaths by one tenth.

Ten of the EU's 15 member states already enforce a limit of 0.5mg/ml but Ireland, Britain, Italy and Luxembourg have a higher limit of 0.8mg/ml. Sweden has the strictest policy, with a limit of 0.2mg/ml.

A spokesman for the Transport Commissioner, Ms Loyola de Palacio, acknowledged that the Commission's recommendation had no legal force. But he said governments had an interest in reducing the number of road deaths caused by alcohol.

The proposals are part of a road-safety programme that advocates, among other measures, publicity campaigns to encourage the use of seat belts and new laws on the construction of cars to make them less dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists in the event of an accident.