Drink-driving changes welcomed after crash death

The family of a woman who died from a bleed on the brain days after she was a passenger in a drink-driving crash have welcomed planned cuts to the drink-drive limit.

Lillie Clack, 22, from Morden in south‑west London, was among six people in a car that flipped over and burst into flames after hitting a tree following a police chase in the early hours of Christmas Day 2021.

The driver, Charlie Hilton, was jailed in 2023 for causing death by dangerous driving and driving above the alcohol limit.

The drink-drive limit in England and Wales is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath, which is the highest in Europe alongside Malta. Under the proposals, this may be reduced to 22 micrograms.

Debbie Clack said: "When my daughter Lillie was killed, my heart was ripped from my chest - part of me died that day. Lillie was my light and my soul.

"I am deeply grateful to the government for taking this issue seriously."

The road safety strategy proposes to require some convicted drink-drivers to have alcolocks - devices which prevent a vehicle from being started or driven unless the motorist passes a breath test - fitted to their vehicles.

They are used in several countries including Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands and the US, in return for shorter driving bans.

The strategy also proposes new powers to suspend driving licences for people suspected of drink or drug-driving offences.

Lillie's family have called for people who cause death while driving to have their licence immediately suspended.

"The main aim of Lillie's Law is to prevent other families from enduring the torment of knowing that people who kill someone while driving are still allowed behind the wheel after causing a death," Debbie Clack said.

"This change in the law would offer families some comfort, knowing these individuals cannot legally drive until they have appeared in court, reducing the risk of another life being taken."

Other families who have lost loved ones to a drink-driver have also campaigned for this change.

The government strategy aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain's roads by 65% by 2035, and by 70% for children under 16.

The Department for Transport said 22 European countries had made "more progress than the UK" in reducing road crash deaths.

The number of people killed on Britain's roads has generally declined since the 1970s but the decrease has slowed from 2010.

In 1972 there were 7,763 road deaths, 1,850 in 2010 and 1,602 in 2024.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "Every life lost on our roads is a tragedy that devastates families and communities.

"We are taking decisive action to make our roads safer for everyone. The measures we are announcing today will save thousands of lives over the coming decade."

The strategy would bring the drink-drive limit in England and Wales in line with Scotland which cut its limit in 2014.

Karen Tyrell, chief executive of charity Drinkaware, said the proportion of drink-driving collisions which caused fatalities had nearly doubled since 2015, so it was "vital that this change is coupled with strong enforcement".

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