Drink-driving casualties spiking

Fatal and serious drink-drive casualties have reached their highest level since 2010.

This is according to new analysis of Department for Transport (DfT) figures by Vantage Leasing. It found the spike in drink-drive casualties coincides with a 17% drop in police numbers over the same time period, and a 55% reduction in the number of roadside breath tests.

The latest DfT figures show in 2017 there were 250 road users killed in drink-drive accidents, the highest number on record since 2010. Across the same time period, the number of serious drink-drive accidents rose from 1,240 to 1,380.

In 2010, police across the UK conducted 737,000 roadside tests, with 11% recorded as positive for alcohol. In 2017, just 326,000 roadside breath tests took place, with 16% of all drivers recording a positive sample.

The current drink-drive limit in England and Wales is 80mg/100ml, with Scotland having adopted a lower 50mg/100ml limit in 2014. England and Wales have the highest drink-drive tolerances across Europe.

Vantage Leasing managing director, Rob Walker, said: “Drink-driving remains a serious issue for UK road safety. Since 2010, we’ve seen a 17% drop in full-time police numbers. At the same time, drink drive fatalities and serious accidents have gone up. While having more officers won’t solve the problem of drink-driving entirely, they will undoubtedly help reduce the issue.”