On Dec 5, 2014, Scotland lowered the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving to 0·05 g/dL. In The Lancet, Houra Haghpanahan and colleagues1 report their study using data from Scotland (the intervention group) and England and Wales (the control group) for the period from Jan 1, 2013, to Dec 31, 2016, to assess the effect of this change on frequency of road traffic accidents (RTAs) and on alcohol consumption. Their evaluation indicates that the reduced BAC limit in Scotland was not associated with a decline in RTAs (rate ratio 1·07, 95% CI 0·98 to 1·17; p=0·10), and did not affect alcohol sales in grocery and convenience stores (off-trade sales −0·3%, 95% CI −1·7 to 1·1; p=0·71).
Original Article: [Comment] Toward improved evaluations of laws against drink-driving