New drink drive death figures strenghten calls for lower limits ~ station of gear

New figures by the Department of Transport show 240 people killed in 2013 as a result of drink drive accidents.

2015-08-07 13:10

An estimated 240 people were killed in 2013 as a result of drink-drive accidents, the first time figures have risen since 2006, according to the latest stats from the Department for Transport (DfT).

These 240 deaths - up 10 from 2012 - amount to 14 per cent of all UK road fatalities, and early 2014 estimates show no fall in drink drive deaths, either. Provisional figures for 2014 estimate between 240 and 340 fatalities as a result of drink drive accidents.

The 2013 and 2014 figures highlight a stagnation in the results of the UK's anti-drink drive campaign – since 2010 the number of people dying from drink drive accidents has remained between 210 and 240.

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While the number of people killed has increased, the number of people seriously injured on UK roads as a result of drink drive accidents is the lowest on record at 1,100. This is an eight per cent reduction from the previous year. The total number of drink-drive accidents also fell by 13 per cent in 2013 compared to 2012. The 5,690 recorded total being the lowest ever.

If we look a little deeper into the figures, more worrying patterns emerge. Of the 1,340 drivers, seriously injured or killed in 2013, a worrying 74 per cent were male. Another telling statistic is the number of young drivers involved in drink drive accidents – the report found over a quarter of the accidents where a person was killed or seriously injured involved 17-24 year old motorists who had breached the blood alcohol limit.

Is the UK's anti-drink drive campaign working?

To many, the lack of significant improvements in the drink drive figures suggests a change in policy is needed. Brake, the road safety charity, has voiced its call for a zero-tolerance drink-drive limit. Auto Express recently reported on the success of the new lower 50mg per 100ml blood alcohol limits (compared to the higher 80mg limit in the rest of the UK) in Scotland – and found the new limits have reduced drink drivers by 25 per cent on Scottish roads.

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Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive for Brake said: “While the overall reduction in drink drive casualties is encouraging, it is sad and disappointing to learn that the number of deaths has remained the same – as it has approximately since the government axed road casualty reduction targets in 2010.

“Brake is calling for a zero-tolerance drink drive limit and greater priority and resourcing for traffic policing: evidenced steps we’re confident would help tackle this menace. Scotland has already seen promising signs of reducing drink drive rates after lowering its limit. In this context, it is unacceptable for the Westminster government to maintain the highest drink drive limit in Europe.”

Find out more about the UK drink drive limits here...

Martin Saarinen

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