Brake is calling on drivers to stay sober if driving over the Christmas period with its ‘not a drop, not a drag’ campaign.

The road safety charity is renewing calls for a zero tolerance drink drive limit of 20mg alcohol per 100ml of blood, in line with evidence that even one drink dramatically increases crash risk and to send a clear message it should be none for the road.

Drink driving is still one of the biggest killers on our roads. In 2014, it is estimated that 13% of all road deaths in Great Britain resulted from crashes where at least one driver was over the alcohol limit.

The call comes on the back of a recent survey by Brake and Direct Line which showed that more than three-quarters of drivers thought the current drink-drive limit too high.

The Scottish Government introduced a lower limit of 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, on December 5 2014. The rest of the UK still retains an 80mg limit – higher than all other EU countries except Malta.

Gary Rae, campaigns director for Brake, said: “As a charity that supports bereaved and injured road crash victims, we witness the suffering that drink and drug driving inflicts and appeal to everyone to help put a stop to it.

“If you’re driving home from celebrations this festive season, it’s vital you take your responsibility for people’s safety seriously, and stay completely off booze and drugs. It’s a fact that even small amounts of alcohol or drugs increase your risk of crashing.”

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