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 1. INTRODUCTION Alcohol gives a drivers a false sense of confidence and impairs their: • reaction times • co-ordination • judgement of speed, time and distance • concentration. Drinking and driving significantly increases the likelihood of being involved in a crash. Even small amounts of alcohol, well below the legal limit, increase the chances of an accident. Nearly half (44%) of drivers questioned in a Home Office Survey, admitted to having driven after drinking some alcohol in the previous year. One in eight drivers said they had driven when they thought they were over the limit. 1 One in six people killed on the roads, dies in an accident where at least one driver or rider was above the drink drive limit. Drink drive casualties account for 16% of all road accident deaths, 7% of all serious injuries and 6% of slight casualties. 2 Drink driving kills not only the drivers who have been irresponsible enough to drink and then drive but also their passengers and other innocent road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Drink-drive accidents and casualties have reduced consistently over many years. During the 1990s the number of people killed and seriously injured in drink drive accidents fell by around 40% and slight injuries by 10%. The combination of consistent publicity campaigns, stiffer penalties and more and better targeted enforcement has resulted in most people regarding drinking and driving as a dangerous, selfish and socially unacceptable activity. However, the number of people killed in drink drive accidents has been increasing in recent years. In 2005, 560 people ∗ were killed in drink drive crashes, a higher number than ten years ago. 2 RoSPA is concerned that the level of drinking and driving is, at the very least, no longer falling and may be increasing. There is also evidence that drink drive accidents are no longer falling in many other countries. 3 The campaign to prevent drinking and driving needs to be re-invigorated with a package of new measures in order to achieve further, long term reductions in the level of drinking and driving. ∗ Provisional figure 1
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Drinking and Driving Policy Paper Updated May 2007 2. THE LAW It is illegal to drive a motor vehicle on a public road with more than either: 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath (BRAC of 35ug/100ml) or 80 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood (BAC of 80mg/100ml = 0.80 promille) Section 6 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 allows the police to test any driver who: • they have reasonable cause to suspect has been driving or attempting to drive with alcohol in his body • has committed a moving traffic offence • has been involved in an accident. A person failing to provide a breath test is guilty of an offence, unless there is a reasonable excuse. Table 1: Drink Drive Offences and Penalties Offence Penalties Driving while unfit through drink or up to 6 months imprisonment drugs or with excess alcohol; or and/or a fine of up to £5,000 failing to provide a specimen for and a minimum of 12 months disqualification. analysis There is a minimum of three years disqualification for a second offence. Causing death by careless driving under the influence of drink or drugs Up to 14 years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine and a minimum of two years disqualification. Convicted offenders are also likely to have to pay up to five times the normal motor insurance premium once they are legally allowed to drive again. They will also be unable to hire a car from most car rental firms for ten years. High Risk Offenders The High Risk Offender (HRO) scheme is targeted at drivers whose apparent dependency on alcohol presents a risk to road safety. Drivers are classed as High Risk Offenders if they : • had an alcohol level at least two and half times the legal limit, or • had been convicted of an earlier drink driving offence in the previous ten years, or • had been convicted of failing without reasonable cause to provide a specimen for analysis. 2
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RoSPA Drinking and Driving Policy Paper 2007

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