THE DRINK DRIVE death toll
ROAD DEATHS CAUSED BY ALCOHOL ARE RISING AFTER YEARS OF DECLINE
SIX people are killed every week in drink drive accidents, as experts warn that people have a “false impression that it is acceptable to mix alcohol and driving”.
New figures from the Department for Transport (DfT) reveal that 290 people across England and Wales were killed in crashes in 2017 where at least one driver was over the drink limit.
That is the highest level since 2009, when there were 340 such deaths recorded.
People found guilty of drink and driving could be sent to prison, receive a driving ban, or be fined up to £2,500.
The DfT says that the drink drive death toll of 290 is an estimation and may change.
There were a further 8,370 people injured in accidents in 2017 - a rate of 23 every day.
Pete Williams, road safety spokesperson for the RAC, said: “With the reduced number of roads policing officers, it appears more drivers are thinking they can get away with drinking and driving.
“However this is a major issue for society and we need to refocus our efforts to raise awareness of the risks.”
England and Wales has the highest drink drive limit in the whole of Europe, at 0.8mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood.
Countries like Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia have banned drink driving completely.
Josh Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said: “Whilst it’s encouraging that the total number of crashes involving drink driver appears to have fallen, it is worrying that the estimated number of people killed continues to increase. “Our current drink-drive limit gives a false impression that it is acceptable to mix alcohol and driving which couldn’t be further from the truth. “Even very small amounts of alcohol dramatically affect your ability to drive safely.”