Britain has one of the worst records in Europe for reducing deaths from drink-driving, according to a study that calls for much tougher enforcement of the limit.

The study also identifies Britain as one of the few remaining countries that continue to ignore a European Commission recommendation on reducing the limit.

The limit in Britain, the Irish Republic, Luxembourg and Malta is 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. All other countries have moved to the Commission’s recommended limit of 50mg, with a few exceptions such as Poland and Sweden, where the limit is 20mg.

The study finds that drink-drive deaths have fallen sharply in every leading European country in the past decade with the exception of Britain and Spain.

Germany and the Netherlands have reduced drink-drive deaths by more than 50 per cent since 1998, but in Britain they have risen by 17 per cent over the same period, from 410 in 1998 to 480 in 2005.

Britain has one of the best overall road-safety records in Europe but its progress has stalled in recent years and Sweden and the Netherlands now have lower road-death rates.

The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), the Brussels-based campaign group that carried out the study, says lack of enforcement is partly to blame for the rise. A European Commission study in 2005 found that drivers were less likely to be breath-tested in Britain than almost any other European country.

Only 9 per cent of drivers in Britain had been tested in the previous three years, compared with 64 per cent in Finland, 63 per cent in the Netherlands and 33 per cent in France. The EU average was 26 per cent.

The number of breath tests carried out by the police in Britain has fallen from 765,000 in 1999 to 578,000 in 2004.

One reason for the decline is that there are 16 per cent fewer traffic police to administer the tests than there were a decade ago. Forces have reallocated officers to other areas, such as tackling street crime.

There is greater ignorance in Britain about the alcohol limit than in other European countries. The majority of British drivers replied “don’t know” when asked what the limit was in a Europe-wide survey in February. In most countries, the majority correctly identified the limit.

The ETSC notes that, unlike Britain, several other European countries have taken steps recently to lower their limits. Luxembourg is considering reducing its limit to 50mg, the Netherlands last year introduced a 20mg limit for novice drivers and France has introduced a 20mg limit for bus and coach drivers.

Research by University College London found that lowering the limit to 50mg would prevent an estimated 65 deaths and 230 injuries a year in Britain. It would also save the economy £119 million a year by reducing medical costs and lost working time.

Britain punishes drink-drivers more severely. They serve a minimum 12-month ban for exceeding 80mg, whereas countries with a 50mg limit tend only to fine drivers.

Andrew Howard, head of road safety at the AA, said that police forces should devote more resources to tackle drink-driving. “They have a target to reduce shoplifting but not to reduce drink-driving. The chances of being breathalysed are phenomenally low.”

With a 50mg limit, most people would be able to consume only one 175ml glass of standard strength wine or half a pint of strong beer and remain below the limit.

The British Medical Association supports a 50mg limit because it believes that it would be easier to understand. Many people are uncertain how much alcohol they can consume legally and may be tempted to have more than one drink.

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