RoSPA Drinking and Driving Policy Paper 2007

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The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Drinking and Driving Policy Paper Updated May 2007 However, 17-24 year old drivers have the highest number of drink drive accidents per licence holder. Making allowance for the fact that youngest drivers (17-19 years) drive fewer miles each year, then their risk is the highest. Table 10: Car Driver Accidents per Licence Holder and per mile Driven: GB 2004 Age Group Car driver drink-drive Accidents Drink-drive accidents per 100 thousand licence holders Drink-drive accidents per 100 million miles driven Under 70 - - 17 17 – 19 1,050 79 41 20 – 24 2,280 87 18 25 – 29 1,520 49 8 30 – 34 1,320 35 5 35 – 39 1,050 25 3 40 – 49 1,500 21 3 50 - 59 680 11 1 60 + 320 4 1 All Ages 10,01 28 4 These statistics match the findings of surveys which show that men aged 16 to 29 years are the most likely to drive when they think they are over the limit; 26% of such men admitted to having done so in the previous year. 1 Older drivers may be less likely to drink and drive, but those who do are more likely to be significantly over the limit. For example, in the 40-49 age range only 18% of drivers whose blood alcohol concentration was known were over the legal limit but of those, 78% had a blood alcohol content of 200mg/100ml. This perhaps demonstrates that the ‘hardened drinker’ is likely to be older and more likely to be a high risk offender. Gender of Drink Drivers The drink-driver is predominantly male. In 2005, 1.2% of women drivers who were breath tested following a crash failed the test, whereas 3.1 of male drivers so tested, failed. This gender difference is also found in Home Office surveys in which 17% of men admitted to having driven when they thought they were over the limit, compared with 10% of women. 1 However, nearly a third of the casualties in drink drive accidents are women. Other Road User Casualties Around 960 car passengers (including about 70 children) are killed or seriously injured, and a further 5,600 are slightly injured, in accidents in which at least one driver or rider was over the legal limit. It is estimated that over 200 pedestrians and 30 pedal cyclists are killed or seriously injured by drink drivers every year. In total, almost 900 children are killed or injured by drink drivers annually. 9
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Drinking and Driving Policy Paper Updated May 2007 4. REDUCING DRINK-DRIVING The significant reductions in the number of people drinking and driving that were achieved throughout the 1980s and most of the 1990s appear to have slowed down or stopped, and may be reversing. Therefore, a new package of measures to reduce drinking and driving is needed. This should include a range of education and enforcement measures and legal sanctions to discourage and prevent people from drinking and driving. Lower the Legal Limit to 50mg/100ml The original maximum blood alcohol limit of 80mg/100ml was based on research 7 which showed that virtually all drivers would be impaired at and above that level. However, there was evidence that many drivers were impaired at much lower levels of alcohol, but in 1967 the limit in Britain was set at 80mg/100ml for pragmatic reasons taking into consideration public attitudes at the time. 8 Since the original limit was set, a considerable amount of national and international research has been conducted, and there can be little doubt that most drivers are impaired at a blood alcohol level of 50mg. At levels between 50mg and 80 mg drivers are 2 – 2.5 times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than drivers with no alcohol, and young drivers are up to 5 times more likely to be involved in a crash. 8 About 80 road users per year are killed in accidents where at least one driver or motorcyclist had a blood alcohol level between 50 and 80mg. The Government’s Road Safety Strategy 9 estimated that reducing the limit to 50mg would save 50 lives, and prevent 250 serious injuries and 1,200 slight injuries each year. A more recent examination of the figures by PACTS suggests that reducing the legal limit would save 65 lives each year and prevent 230 serious injuries. 10 In the Road Safety Strategy 9 , the Government stated that it was waiting for a European Directive on a harmonised limit in Europe. The European Commission in January 2001 advised Britain to reduce the maximum limit to 50mg/100ml in line with most member states. 11 Despite this, the Government decided in April 2002 not to lower the limit. A lower limit would not just affect drivers who are between 50mg and 80 mg. Reviews 12, of the effect of lowering the limit in other countries have shown that it can be accompanied by a reduction in drinking and driving at much higher levels of alcohol. A lower limit would send out a general education message and set the tone for no drinking and driving. However, a lower limit should not be introduced in isolation, but as part of a wider package of drinking drive measures, including education and enforcement initiatives. The call for a lower limit is supported by the Association of Chief Police Officers. 10
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