Father of man killed by drunk driver hopes Northern Ireland will adopt tighter drink drive limits in England and Wales

Peter Dolan from Omagh was speaking after English Transport minister Lilian Greenwood urged pubgoers to leave their cars at home or have an alcohol-free beverage as part of the Government’s new road safety strategy.

Mr Dolan's son Enda was in his first term at Queen's University Belfast when he was killed by drunk driver David Lee Stewart in Belfast in 2014.

The new strategy in England and Wales – which is the first of its kind in more than a decade – aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035.

It includes a proposal to lower the drink-drive limit in England and Wales, which at 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath is the highest in Europe alongside Northern Ireland and Malta.

A Department for Transport document stated it will consult on imposing “an even lower limit for novice drivers”.

Scotland’s limit is 22 micrograms, while the power to cut Northern Ireland’s limit is devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Latest figures show an estimated 260 people were killed on Britain’s roads in 2023 in crashes involving a driver who was over the alcohol limit.

Responding to the new strategy for England and Wales, Mr Dolan said that "any restriction in the drink drive limit is good".

But he added: "The difficulty is that people come in different shapes and sizes, and alcohol processes through their system at different rates.

"So it might take one individual a number of hours, and somebody else, it might take half that length of time.

"So I would just prefer that there would be an automatic zero tolerance policy. That may be easier said than done, but I think that's the way forward as well."

He added: "Hopefully the powers that be at Stormont will take what they are doing in England and Wales into account for Northern Ireland.”

He has been campaigning for ten years for Northern Ireland to adopt life sentences for death by dangerous driving offences - which were introduced in England in 2022.

Justice Minister Naomi Long has just written to ask him for a further meeting on the matter.

Peter and his family have just spent their 12th Christmas without their son and brother, Enda.

"Christmas is always a hard time," he said. "There are key times of the year that are quite difficult, certain anniversaries, but Christmas is always a hard time.

"So you probably learn certain coping mechanisms to get yourself and your family over those dates."

Transport minister Lilian Greenwood told Times Radio: “We don’t want to stop people from going to the pub and having a great night out.

“What we’re just saying is don’t take your car.

“So that might mean that, you know, some places you’ll be able to take a bus or a taxi.

“In other places, you’re going out with a group of mates, one of you agrees to be the designated driver.”

She knows from working with the pub trade “how many great low-alcohol drinks” there are now, she added.