Road Traffic Act 1988 (Alcohol Limits) (Amendment) Bill [HL]

A Bill to amend the Road Traffic Act 1988 to lower the prescribed limit of alcohol in relation to driving or being in charge of a vehicle; and for connected purposes.

Originating House

House of Lords

Parliament last updated

12 May 2016

In Plain English

AI-generated

May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.

This bill aims to lower the legal alcohol limit for drivers and anyone in charge of a vehicle under the Road Traffic Act 1988. In the Lords, two drafting amendments were agreed at Report Stage, narrowing the change to Section 1 only and correcting a drafting point, with the overall goal of strengthening drink-driving rules. The bill is currently at the 3rd reading in the Lords and would move on to the Commons if it passes.

Key Points

The core objective is to reduce the prescribed alcohol limit for driving or being in charge of a vehicle.
Amendments at Report Stage reduced the scope from 'Sections 1 and 2' to only 'Section 1', limiting which provisions are affected by the change.
A drafting amendment changed a word from 'come' to 'comes' to ensure correct grammar in the statute.
Both amendments were agreed in the Lords and were proposed by Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe (Labour).
The bill originated in the Lords and is at the 3rd reading stage, meaning it is near the end of its passage in the Lords; if approved, it would move to the Commons for consideration.

Progress

The bill has completed Report Stage and is at the 3rd Reading in the Lords. If it passes, it would proceed to the House of Commons for consideration.

Who is affected?

Drivers and people in charge of vehiclesPolice and other enforcement officers tasked with enforcing drink-driving limitsCourts and legal professionals handling drink-driving offencesPotentially employers with staff who drive as part of work (depending on how the final provisions apply)

Generated 21 February 2026

Bill Stages

1st readingLords

3 Jun 2015

2nd readingLords

29 Jan 2016

Committee stageLords

11 Mar 2016

Report stageLords

22 Apr 2016

3rd readingLords

5 May 2016

1st readingCommons

2nd readingCommons

Committee stageCommons

Report stageCommons

3rd readingCommons

Royal Assent

Amendments (2)

2 agreed

Showing agreed, defeated, and withdrawn amendments.

Updates & Documents

News (1)

News - Road Traffic Act 1988 (Alcohol Limits) (Amendment)

1 Jan 1970

Third reading - the final chance for the Lords to change the Bill - took place on 5 May and no amendments were made.

The Bill now goes to the Commons for its consideration.

The 2015/16 session of parliament has ended and this Bill will make no further progress.