‘It’s not going to do us any favours’: Rural pubs fear stricter drink-drive limit will impact business
Rural pubs fear plans to tighten drink-driving limits in England and Wales will impact alcohol sales and trading.
Under the proposal announced as part of the new road safety strategy, those who go to bars who want to drive will not be able to drink alcohol.
The government aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65 per cent by 2035, and by 70 per cent for children under 16.
The drink driving limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is currently 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath; this is the highest level in Europe, along with Malta. However, this amount could be reduced to 22 micrograms in England and Wales, bringing them in line with Scotland, which lowered the drink-driving limit in 2014. After this change, even a single drink could put a person over the limit.
While bar owners agree that roads should be as safe as possible, many worry that without reliable public transport, those in remote locations will see fewer customers.
“This won’t do us any good in an industry that’s already suffering,” said Nikki Stepney, assistant manager of Devil’s Dyke, a pub in the South Downs just outside Brighton.
“This will definitely affect us because we’re right at the top of the South Downs so there’s only public transport in the summer,” he said Independent.
“We literally just rely on walkers and of course people come in their cars, but instead of, say, two drinks and a meal, that’s going to change now. People’s eating and drinking habits are going to change.”
He has already seen a shift towards punters drinking low and no alternative drinks and predicts this will increase further.
Marius Pretorius, owner of the Dew Drop Inn in Hurley, Berkshire, said the Labor government was making decisions “against everything public houses and pubs stand for”.
The pub owner believes the new drink-driving limit will make people order less alcohol and more non-alcoholic beer, although he wants to see safer roads. He also doubts that the law will be enforced.
“I think it’s probably going to affect business, a lot of people are carpooling. If there’s a table of four, someone doesn’t have a drink at all, or they have a small glass of wine and then they leave a few hours later,” he said. Independent.
Mr Pretorius said he had seen drinkers’ habits changing as non-alcoholic beers became popular.
“We have seen a significant increase in non-alcoholic product sales not only in January, when everyone did it, but in general in the last 18 months,” he said.
The drink driving limit in Scotland changed more than 10 years ago in 2014, and while many smaller pubs remain, owners say there has been a “change in culture”.
“The culture in Scotland has changed so much that small pubs cannot survive and have to turn into restaurants,” said Tom Jones, a bar worker at The Red Lion Inn near Dunfermline on Scotland’s east coast.
“We still let in local drinkers and walkers, but not outsiders. But if it supports a village pub it should stay open.”
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has called on the government to ensure new road safety plans are “proportionate and evidence-based” to avoid a negative impact on struggling pubs.
A spokesman stressed that the pub industry was “committed to actively promoting responsible drinking by investing in no-beer and low beer and supporting drink-driving campaigns”, pointing to a decline in alcohol-related road accidents in recent government data.
He also warned that the pub sector “continues to face major challenges”, adding: “So any additional policy measures that would further impact trade would be a real concern, particularly for licensees in rural areas.”
“We are also calling on the government to review how public transport can better support the high street and local tourism, particularly in rural areas.”
The Campaign for Real Beer (CAMRA) is also concerned that rural pubs will lose business.
Chief executive Tom Stainer said: “Of course we want our roads to be as safe as possible, but ministers must consider the impact of this change alongside the major tax increases already announced for pubs.”
“We also want public transport authorities, like combined authorities, to have a statutory duty to provide services in the evening and late at night so people can get to and from pubs, including in rural areas.”
However, the director general of the Institute for Alcohol Studies, Dr. Katherine Severi said claims that a drink-driving limit would harm pubs were “not supported by the evidence”.
“Rural roads are among the most dangerous in the country, accounting for more than half of fatal collisions, and protecting rural communities means reducing risk, not ignoring it,” he said.
“Today’s bars are already adapting to changing habits, with more non-alcoholic options and designated drivers more common.”
Transport Secretary Lilian Greenwood said: “260 people were killed by drink drivers last year and every single one of these deaths is preventable. I have spoken to the families of the victims and they are demanding action.”
“Our drink-driving limit is not in line with Scotland and Europe. Nobody wants to stop people going to the pub but we say leave the car at home. “There is also an increase in low-alcohol products so leave the car at home or have a designated driver.
“ We know that every single death is preventable. “We do not set the limit at zero, but do not go out while drinking and driving.”
