IT is 40 years since the introduction of breathtesting for drivers and statistics show that it has saved thousands of lives every year since then.

We should celebrate the fact that the number of fatal and serious drink-related accidents has dropped from 13,000 a year 40 years ago to 2,500 now.

But it is still far too many. It still means that a long list of families lose their loved ones, or people end up in wheelchairs, because of motorists who can't resist getting behind the wheel after having too much to drink.

It is the epitome of selfishness and that is why we support moves by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents to reduce the legal alcohol limit from 80mg per 100ml of blood to 50mg.

According to RoSPA, the reduction would save approximately 65 lives on Britain's roads each year.

As far as we are concerned, it is as clear-cut in terms of common sense as the legislation to ban smoking in public places, so let's just do it.

In fact, whatever the legislation ends up being, the safest policy when driving is not to drink at all.

On a charge

THE problem with standard letters is that they have a tendency to be sent to the wrong people.

That is apparently the case with the letter sent by Hambleton District Council warning war veterans in Osmotherley that they might be charged £54 an hour for street cleaning after their Remembrance Day march.

We note the council's promise that references to street cleaning charges will be removed from correspondence with the veterans in future.

And we trust that the march will be allowed to go ahead as it has done for 80 years - without charge.