Group fears drink driving spike

TTC Group is warning against an increase in drink driving cases during the coming UK holiday season.

With “staycations” the order of the day for many this year, a general feeling of relief with the easing of lockdown restrictions, and continued public transport restrictions, TTC Group’s Drink Drive Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) division fears the combination could lead to an increase in drink driving cases in the coming weeks and months.

Historically, summer sees a surge in drink-driving cases, with a recent freedom of information request highlighting 2,861 motorists were caught driving under the influence in July 2019. And TTC Group fears this year, with its unique set of circumstances, could influence numbers even more.

Tim Ribton, head of TTC’s DDRS division, said: “Our aim is to make communities safer by empowering people, through education, to make the right life choice. By sounding out a warning we hope to attract the attention of the authorities, businesses and the general public because we do see an almost perfect storm brewing over the coming weeks and months.”

The Department for Transport’s latest road safety review highlights that despite the UK having some of the safest roads in Europe, the past decade has seen a plateauing in the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. And since 2014 there has been a rise in the number of people killed or seriously injured in road traffic collisions where the driver was over the legal blood alcohol limit.

Ribton added: “We are by no means saying do not enjoy the summer season – in line with government guidelines, of course – but we really do want to encourage people to think about their plans because unless meeting within a walkable distance from home, driving to and from such engagements is currently the most convenient and only real option for many right now. With that the message is simple: if you are driving, do not drink.”