Drink driving problem increases

The drink driving problem has increased in the UK.
By MJ Woof February 24, 2021 Read time: 2 mins
The UK has seen an increase in drink driving – image © courtesy of Mike Woof
There is concern amongst bodies dealing with road safety in the UK over data showing an increase in deaths relating to drink driving. According to preliminary government data, there were an estimated 280 deaths from drink driving in 2019, an increase of 40 from the previous year. This is the highest rate of death from drink driving in the UK for 10 years.

According to the adjusted central estimate for drink-drive casualties in 2019, 2,110 people died or suffered serious injuries in crashes in which at least one driver was over the limit for alcohol. This represents a jump of 11% compared to the figures for 2018 and is also the highest figure recorded since 2011.
 
The data was provided by the UK's Department for Transport (DfT).

Road safety groups such as Brake are now calling for the legal blood alcohol limit to be reduced for England and Wales from the current 80mg alcohol/100ml blood to 50mg/100ml blood used in Scotland since December 2014. The change to this lower level brought Scotland into line with permitted blood alcohol limits for the rest of Europe.
 
Drink driving used to be a far greater problem on UK roads as well as in all other developed nations. A combination of tough enforcement and penalties as well as public education have all helped reduce the incidence of drink driving, which is now widely considered as anti social behaviour. Road deaths from drink driving were first separated from road fatalities caused by other factors back in 1979. At that time, the annual road fatality rate from drink driving was around six times higher than at present. 
Highway & Network Management

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Spreading knowledge on European standards beyond Europe
    October 8, 2015
    Europe is a global leader in road safety. It has an average of 50 traffic fatalities/million population, half that of the equivalent figure for the USA While there is no magical formula for improving road safety, it is possible to observe a positive correlation between the advent of performance-based standards for essential road equipment and the impressive reduction in road fatalities that Europe has seen since 2001, a drop of 50%.
    Read More
  • Slowing down for road safety
    November 30, 2020
    Slowing down can help boost road safety.
    Read More
  • Intersection crashes give cause for concern
    November 29, 2012
    An increased number of intersection crashes is expected in many parts of the US and Europe. Precisely why this is so is not clear, but the period before the end of the year is frequently marked by higher than average numbers of crashes. In the US, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) recorded and increase in crashes of 24% in the period between 21st November and December 31st 2011. Meanwhile injuries rose 18% and serious injuries increased 12% in this period, when compared with the monthly average f
    Read More
  • The European Parliament votes to accept Pan-European enforcement
    February 11, 2015
    In a landmark move, the European parliament has voted to approve Pan-European enforcement of traffic laws. This will allow police forces across Europe to share information on foreign motorists who break road traffic rules. No longer will offenders be able to dodge fines and other penalties for driving offences while committed abroad. The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) and TISPOL – the European Traffic Police Network have both welcomed this move Non-resident drivers account for approximately 5% of
    Read More

Highlighted Content