Police chiefs are calling on the Prime Minister to introduce mandatory 'alcolocks' for high-risk drink-drivers.
The proposed measure, which would require offenders to use alcohol interlocks before returning to the road, has been set out in an open letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham by the RAC, police and crime commissioners, police chiefs and road safety organisations.
Alcolocks are breathalysers connected to a vehicle’s ignition system that prevent the engine from starting if alcohol above a set limit is detected.
Simon Williams, head of policy at the RAC, said: "Drink-driving remains one of the most preventable causes of death and serious injury on our roads.
"Alcolocks physically stop someone from driving after drinking, and there's strong public support for repeat or high-risk offenders having to have them fitted to their vehicles before being allowed to drive again.
"The Government said it would set out its next steps within three months of the Road Safety Strategy consultation closing.
"That deadline has now passed, and every further delay means more preventable harm on our roads.
"As Mayor of Greater Manchester, the Prime Minister backed the ambition of Vision Zero – that nobody should be killed or suffer life-changing injuries on our roads.
"We're asking him to bring that same ambition to the whole country and commit to a mandatory alcohol interlock programme for high-risk and repeat offenders."
The letter urges the Government to announce an alcolock scheme as part of its forthcoming response to the motoring offences consultation.
It calls for courts to be given the power to require an alcohol interlock as a condition for a drink-drive offender who is returning to driving, alongside monitoring and appropriate rehabilitation.
Under current law, courts cannot mandate the use of alcolocks for convicted offenders. Courts are currently unable to require convicted offenders to use an alcohol interlock when returning to the road.
The letter is backed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, Road Safety Great Britain and Brake.
International evidence suggests that alcolocks can cut reoffending by up to 70 per cent.
According to the Department for Transport, drink-driving collisions claimed 220 lives and left more than 1,500 people seriously injured in 2024.
The Government has previously said that alcolocks could be an effective tool in reducing reoffending and that, if legislation is approved, it would work collaboratively to enable their rollout.
The call for action comes after the Government missed its own three-month deadline to publish a summary of responses and next steps following the closure of the motoring offences consultation.
The consultation included proposals to strengthen measures against drink and drug driving.
The Department for Transport confirmed that consultations have closed and said they are 'carefully considering the substantial number of responses they received before announcing next steps'.
They claimed to have also consulted on whether the drink-drive limit in England and Wales should be lowered, including whether there should be a lower legal limit for novice drivers.
A DfT spokesperson said: “Driving under the influence of alcohol puts everyone at risk, and every drink-drive collision represents a preventable tragedy.
“Through our new Road Safety Strategy, we’ve consulted on lower alcohol limits and tougher measures, including immediately suspending drink drivers while they await their court date and harsher sentences.
“While we’re not mandating the use of alcohol interlocks, we have consulted on their potential use to help prevent repeat drink-driving offences."
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