Drink drive road traffic accidents on the rise

Published: 09/08/2013

Provisional figures have shown a significant year-on-year increase in the number of drink-driving related road traffic accident fatalities.

According to the estimates by the Department for Transport (DfT), 290 people were killed in a road accident where a driver was over the legal alcohol limit compared to 230 in the previous year.

The rise coincides with cuts to road safety campaign budgets; £1.7 million was spent on drink driving related advertising throughout the last financial year, half the figure spent in 2009-10 (£3.4 million).

Edmund King is the President of the AA:

“Drink driving is a menace to everyone on our roads and it is very disappointing to see that the estimated number of fatalities as a result of drunk drivers has increased.

“Behind every statistic is a personal tragedy that could have been avoided for these 290 people.

“The increase in drink drive deaths in 2012 could be linked to more opportunities to drink and then drive during the ‘summer of sport’ from the Euro 2012 football tournament through to the Olympics in July and August.

“Road safety publicity budgets, both nationally and regionally, have also been slashed so this may have had a knock on effect as police enforcement has remained fairly consistent. We need to keep reinforcing the message that drinking and driving don’t mix. All drivers need to take heed of this and ensure that if they are going to be driving, that they adopt a zero tolerance approach and don’t drink anything alcoholic at all.”

Content correct at time of publication