Drink-driving Figures Released
Figures released by the Department of Transport indicate that in 2016 the number of vehicle accidents where at least one driver or rider was over the alcohol limit rose by 6% to 6070. This resulted in 9040 casualties, of which 500 involved inebriated motorcyclists.
It’s a stark reminder that drink-driving is still an issue on our roads, but thankfully far less common than in the past.
In 1979, the first year of detailed reporting, there were around 19,470 drink-drive accidents. That number fell to fewer than 10,000 by 1993, a level it has remained below for each year since 2006, and fallen further to around 6,000 each year since 2013.
With regards to motorcyclists, the number of bikers killed whilst riding under the influence of alcohol has actually dropped by more than 75% since 1979, to 2016’s total of 25 – the lowest on record. This, compared to car drivers, whose rate has only reduced by 36% over the same period, is demonstrative that motorcyclists may already be more aware of the dangers of the road, without adding alcohol into the mix.
Joshua Harris, director of campaigns at road safety charity Brake, said: “If you’re driving it’s better to have none for the road. Only this zero-tolerance approach can create the change required to rid our roads of the menace of drink-driving".
He states that the current drink-driving limit in England and Wales “gives a false impression that it is safe to drink and drive”, which he claimed to be a “dangerous message and one that couldn’t be further from the truth”
