There’s been a sharp increase in the number of deaths on Britain’s roads caused by drunk drivers.
Final figures for 2022 released by the Department for Transport estimate that 300 people were killed in drink drive accidents – an increase of 15% on the previous year and the highest since 2009. The overall number of casualties was also up slightly – to 6,800 compared with 6,740 in 2021.
Fatalities in reported drink-drive collisions: Great Britain, 2012 to 2022; error bars show 95% confidence intervals. Chart: DfT
“Drink drive casualties have been steadily declining since these figures were first published in 1979,” comments Hunter Abbott, MD of personal breathalyser firm AlcoSense.
“But there’s been a shocking increase in fatalities over the past two years. In 2021, there were 260 deaths – which in turn was 40 more than in 2020.
“Some studies show that people who drink above government guidelines have been drinking more heavily since the pandemic, which may explain the increase in collisions where alcohol is a factor.
“Further, these figures only record accidents where a driver was actually over the legal limit, which in England and Wales is the highest in Europe. What they don’t tell you is how many more casualties were caused by ‘lethal but legal’ drivers – those who were under the official limit but still impaired”.
Fatalities in reported drink-drive collisions, as a percentage of all fatalities: Great Britain, 1979 to 2022. Chart: DfT
Analysis by AlcoSense of the new data shows that London and the South East accounted for 30% of all drink drive casualties in Great Britain, with the North-East recording the fewest (3%).
June and July were the worst months for drink-related injuries on the roads, with 630 casualties in each month. Just 37% of motorists involved in a collision were breathalysed, compared with 53% ten years previously.
“More drivers need to be tested by Police after an accident,” adds Mr Abbott, who is also a member of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS). Every year 17% of motorists fail the test or refuse to provide a sample”.
Fatalities in reported drink-drive collisions, as a percentage of all fatalities: Great Britain, 1979 to 2022 in 5 year intervals. Chart: DfT
RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “While the number of people killed by drink-drivers is still thankfully far lower now compared to the final decades of the 20th century, the fact we’re back to a similar rate of fatalities caused by people drinking and driving as we were in the late 1980s is abhorrent. It’s abundantly clear that a hard core of people, especially men, continue to put the lives of all road users at risk by choosing to get behind the wheel after consuming too much alcohol. This is the case across the UK, including in Scotland which has had a lower blood alcohol limit than in England and Wales since 2014.
“The UK might have an enviable record on road safety compared to many other countries, but there’s no getting away from the fact that overall casualty numbers aren’t really decreasing anymore. We urge the Government to work closely and collaboratively with experts to put in place a clear action plan for reducing these terrible statistics going forward. Every life lost on our roads is one too many.
Percentage of casualties occurring in drink-drive collisions by country and English region, 2022. Chart: DFT
“The data for Scotland suggests merely reducing the legal drink-drive limit isn’t enough. Drivers need to be prevented from being able to drink and drive in the first place, or at least believe there’s a very good chance of being caught. Data suggests a significant number of drink-drive offences are committed by reoffenders, so there’s a good case for fitting alcolocks which stop someone over the limit from starting a car. But there’s also a very strong argument for an increase in enforcement, something that will always be a challenge for as long as police resources are tight.
“We’re also pleased to see data on drug-driving is now being collected, as recommended by PACTS. Again, initial figures suggest the situation is getting worse but as the Department for Transport has noted there is more work to be done to ensure the data is as robust as possible.”
