A Freedom of Information response yesterday seems to contradict the claims that the new tougher drink-drive laws introduced by the Scottish Government in 2014, have not been effective. While it is true that the overall umber of RTAs has actually increased, deaths caused by intoxication have reduced to zero, in four of the last five years since the introduction of the new limits, and to one death in the other. Deaths due to drink or drugs exclusively cannot be separated in the data. In the previous five years before the introduction of the new limit, there were 11 deaths caused by the influence of drink and/or drugs.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-201900000185/
You can see the logic. With the old limits you could get away with one drink, be tempted just to have the one, then go on to have more, but the new limit was so tough, you knew there was no point in having any at all so planned and acted accordingly.
The person who made the FoI request must be disappointed. I doubt we’ll hear anything of this now.
Talking-up Scotland 
Quite spectacular
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It would be useful to set the number of road traffic accidents in the context of the number of vehicles on the roads.
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Yes, as a percentage, tiny?
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Perhaps the writer of this article should consider that the number of police in Scotland has fallen to a 10 year low under the SNP. Less police, less prevention of accidents and less detection of crime. Accident rates in Scotland remain exactly the same as before.
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‘As at 30 June 2017, there were 17 249 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in Scotland. This is an increase of 1 015 police officers from the position at 31 March 2007 (+6.3 per cent). Police officer numbers have decreased by 7 FTE officers in the last quarter, since 31 March 2017, and increased by 7 FTE officers in the last year since 30 June 2016.’
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/TrendPolice
What do these figures mean in terms of the ratio of police officers to members of the public? See this:
Population England and Wales in 56 million
Number of police officers in 2017 was 121 929
Population Scotland is 5.3 million
Number of police officers in 2017 was 17 249
Ratio of population to officers England and Wales: 459/1
Ratio of population to officers Scotland: 307/1
So, as with teachers, nurses, and GPs, Scotland has a much better ratio of police officers to members of the public and thus presumably more presence on the streets.
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