Drink-driving skyrockets around festive period – latest police data shows there were 5,869 positive or refused breath tests in December vs 4,446 in February.
A CarTakeBack.com and YouGov survey revealed that almost 1 in 5 (17 per cent) think it’s sometimes acceptable to drive after drinking – as long as they feel unaffected. With 40 million driving licenses in Great Britain, this is nearly 7 million drivers.
As the latest provisional figures from the Department for Transport reveal that fatalities from drink driving have increased in the UK, safety campaigners are once again urging the Government to reconsider the drink drive limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Department for Transport’s report, which was released in February, estimates that 9,050 people were killed or injured in 2016 when at least one driver was over the drink-drive limit – a significant rise from 2015’s figure of 8,470 and the highest figure recorded since 2012.
Alcohol safety and training specialist AlcoDigital has agreed a contract with Renault Trucks to showcase and offer alcohol safety devices for their latest range of LCV Master business fleet vehicles, which will be displayed at the Freight in the City exhibition on 7th November 2017.
Following the Department for Transport’s announcement that they have no immediate plans to lower the drink-drive limit in England and Wales to the same as Scotland’s, alcohol safety experts have responded to the news as “astonishing” and stated that the Department for Transport is ignoring the facts.
Following the debate of a Private Members’ Bill in the House of Lords on Friday 29 January, which sought to lower the drink-drive limit in England and Wales to the same as Scotland, alcohol safety experts say more lives could be saved with the introduction of a breathalyser law.
An estimated 10 million British motorists drink and drive. In December, when alcohol consumption soars by 40 per cent in the UK, 7.8 per cent more people are arrested on drink driving charges than any other month of the year.
These shocking figures show just how many of us are risking our lives – and our personal record – by getting behind the wheel after one too many drinks during the festive season. Driving above the legal limit has severe – not to mention, costly – repercussions, yet it seems in the haze of Christmas merriment, many motorists are risking it all to get home.
With the Police Federation calling for the national drink drive limit in England and Wales to be lowered in line with Scotland, a new survey has revealed that more than one in five UK workers drive to work still under the influence from the night before.
Police Scotland tested 17,504 drivers for alcohol as part of their four week drink-drive campaign over the festive period and caught 351 drivers under the influence, compared to 434 drivers last year – a 19 per cent reduction. Figures from the Scottish Government also show that drivers are five times more likely to be caught just over the new legal limit the morning after. The suggestion is that tougher rules are a bigger deterrent.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is disappointed that each day, an average of 200 drivers were arrested for offences related to drink driving during the annual Christmas crackdown.
Figures released by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) show that, in relation to drink driving, 6,550 drivers gave positive breath tests or refused or failed to give a test, during the campaign, which ran from November 29 to January 1 across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is around 8 per cent fewer than the previous year’s figure of 7,123. Of those arrested, 1,675 (26 per cent) were recorded as being under the age of 25.
The most dangerous drink drivers will now have to pass a medical before they are allowed back on the roads under a change in the law announced by Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond. The changes, which come into force from 1 June 2013, mean that High Risk Offenders will need to pass a medical confirming they are no longer alcohol dependent at the end of their disqualification and before they start driving.
The number of fatal accidents involving drink drivers last year rose by 18 per cent, from 220 in 2010 to 260 in 2011, according to figures published by the Department for Transport. In the same period, the number of people killed in drink drive accidents increased by 12 per cent, from 250 to 280. This means that 15 per cent of all fatalities in road accidents involved drink driving.
Green Flag Breakdown Service wish to remind motorists that as of July 1st France is taking a new approach in battling drink driving by legally requiring every driver, including visitors from the UK and elsewhere, to carry a single-use breathalyser kit.
Employees at Michelin's three UK sites put on beer goggles in a drink driving simulation, heard the results of a hidden speed camera exercise and enjoyed free tyre checks to mark the launch of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety initiative.
Staff at Michelin’s Stoke-on-Trent site got the opportunity on Wednesday 11 May to experience the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol via the combination of a Mario Cart Wii driving game simulator and a special pair of 'beer goggles' provided by Staffordshire County Council's road safety department.
A new Co-operative Insurance poll suggestions 55 per cent of young drivers “get behind the wheel under the influence of drink or illegal drugs.” As part of The Co-operative Insurance’s ongoing ‘2 Young 2 Die’ campaign, 2079 drivers under the age of 25 were polled via 2young2die.org.uk and 1,143 admitted to driving under the influence. Historically, drink driving has been the catalyst for motoring convictions, however the figures suggest that drug driving is on the rise, with 18 per cent of young drivers polled admitting to driving under the influence of illegal drugs and 37 per cent under the influence of alcohol.
David Neave, Director of General Insurance at The Co-operative Insurance, commented: “At least 15,935 people in the UK were killed or hurt by drink and drug-drivers in 2007, whilst these figures do not suggest that every young driver was over the drink drive limit they are very concerning especially with reports warning that illegal drug use in the UK is on the increase.”
Research by the Transport Research Laboratory has found that 17 per cent of drivers who die in road traffic accidents have traces of illegal drugs in their system which may have affected their driving.
A New Zealand man has ended up in court after getting more than he bargained for while changing a flat tyre on his car.
A 37-year old Wellington man pulled to the side of a busy street last December and was attempting to change his car’s deflated tyre when police arrived to give him a hand. However, the observant boys in blue spotted that all was not as it should be, and promptly booked the man for drink driving.
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