Drink driving deaths have reached their highest point in ten years

Figures published by the Department of Transport indicate that the number of people dying last year as a result of drink driving was 560 – a rise of six per cent. This happened in the context of an overall drop of one per cent in the total of road accident deaths. The figures further indicate that all casualties from drink driving leapt by seven per cent – more than 20,000 people killed or injured – which is the highest level since 1990.

The present drink-drive limit was questioned by Brake, the road safety charity. Calling for the Government to take “urgent action”, it argued that the limit as it stands encourages drivers to take the chance of getting away with having one or two drinks. Brake’s Chief Executive, Mary Williams, said, “We need more high profile anti-drink and anti-drug advertising all year round to combat a rise in young drivers impaired behind the wheel”.

Road safety minister David Jamieson said that the United Kingdom’s penalties for drink driving are among the toughest in Europe. “Meanwhile, the police have one hand tied behind their back because they cannot randomly breath-test high-risk drivers late at night near nightclubs.” Mr Jamieson said that a hardcore of reckless drivers were presenting “a danger to themselves and everyone else on the road”.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Transport deployed the argument that lowering the drink-drive limit would “dilute” the message the government was trying to promote, that is “Don’t drink and drive at all”. She added that the Government has already spent millions of pounds on advertising campaigns to get this across. The problem was that a group of drivers in their twenties and early thirties are said to consider themselves above the law.

In the mind of the public, road safety enforcement at the moment is done by camera and concentrates its efforts on motorists who drive too quickly and not other criminal motoring behaviour. The head of road safety at the AA Motoring Trust, Andrew Howard, said, “Drink-drivers face an automatic twelve-month ban, hefty fine and possible prison sentence. Hard-hitting publicity campaigns have helped establish an anti-drink-drive culture. But these statistics show education and enforcement must continue to be a priority. Motorists must be responsible for their actions.”

According to Mr Howard, “Some drink-drivers assume they can break the law because they are unlikely to be caught.

The public perception of road safety enforcement at the moment is that it is done by camera and concentrates on speeding motorists and not other criminal motoring behaviour.”

In opposition the Labour Party suggested that it would lower the drink-drive limit from 80mg to 50, but since coming into power the Government has listened to the arguments of the alcohol industry and failed to bring the United Kingdom into line with most of the rest of the European Union.