Two thirds of motorists have said that they would be more inclined to abstain from drink-driving if the legal limit were lowered, according to a survey conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health.

The survey, which polled nearly 2,000 people, found that two thirds of motorists who admit to drink-driving would not do so if the legal limit was lowered.

The findings have reignited campaigners’ calls for a lower limit across the whole of the UK, which currently stands at 80mg per 100ml of blood in England and Wales. In December 2014, Scotland reduced its legal limit to 50mg per 100ml. After this change, figures show that the number of drink driving offences fell by 17% in the first three months of 2015.

David Robinson, a specialist road traffic accident solicitor at Thompsons Solicitors, said: “The results from the poll clearly indicate that lowering the drink driving limit would make people think twice about drinking alcohol and getting behind the wheel. The reduction of alcohol related incidents in Scotland proves that lowering the drink driving limit is an effective way of reducing the number of alcohol related road traffic accidents.

“At Thompsons, we represent a huge number of people affected by road traffic accidents, the majority of which could have been entirely avoided. One in six deaths on the road are down to alcohol-related collisions and this alone shows that current legislation is not enough of a deterrent. The government should take notice and, by not reconsidering the legal limit, they are potentially putting people’s lives at risk.”