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

  • New figures reveal world road fatality rates
    February 6, 2015
    Figures now available from the International Road Traffic Accident Database (IRTAD) highlight the risk of travelling by road in some countries. Not all countries compile accurate data from police sources and in many, a high percentage of road traffic crashes go unreported to the authorities. But the data from nations that do compile such information highlights counties where road risks are high and action needs to be taken.
    Read More
  • Europe’s road safety targets at risk
    June 15, 2015
    The EU’s targets for road safety are at risk due to increased fatalities in France, Germany and UK. This new analysis has been published by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC). According to the ETSC data, 2014 showed the lowest annual reduction in EU road deaths since 2001. In all 25,845 people were killed in road crashes in the 28 nations of the EU during 2014. This represented a decrease of just 0.6% compared to 2013. EU member states now need to cut deaths by almost 8% each year until 2020 to me
    Read More
  • Fatality levels are dropping on UK roads, but some cause for concern
    February 11, 2013
    The latest official data from the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) show an overall drop in road-related fatalities. There were 1,760 deaths in road accidents to the year ending in September 2012, a 7% drop from the previous year when there were 1,883 fatalities. A worrying trend however can be seen with regard to vulnerable road users, with an increase in fatalities. The number of motorcyclists killed or seriously injured in road crashes during this period increased by 4%, pedestrians by 6% and cyclists
    Read More
  • US road safety is a concern
    September 8, 2022
    US road safety is a growing concern.
    Read More

Highlighted Content