Men blamed after drink-drive death toll jumps by 9%

A HARD core of male drink-drivers has been blamed for a surge in road deaths as official figures show the number of fatalities has risen to an eight-year high.

An estimated 250 people were killed in drink-drive crashes in 2017, according to the latest figures from the Department for Transport. This is a 9 per cent rise from 230 in 2016 and the worst toll since 2009.

Just over 40 per cent of those who failed breath tests after road accidents were more than twice the limit. Just under eight in ten of the 5,700 drink-drive accidents in 2017 involved male drivers. Safety cam the paigners said police cuts were partly to blame for the rise – as many drivers believe that they are increasingly unlikely to be caught.

According to the data, 147,550 breath tests were carried out by officers in 2017, down 17 per cent from 178,102 the previous year.

AA president Edmund King said the lack of ‘cops in cars’ has played into the hands of serial offenders.

He added: ‘We are all aware of how tragic and dangerous drink-driving can be, yet people are still willing to get behind the wheel after a spell in pub. What is most concerning is that there continues to be a hard core, where more than two fifths of those failing breath tests are more than twice the limit.’

The alcohol limit for drivers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath, 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood and 107 milligrams per 100 millilitres of urine.

Of the 6,204 who failed a breath test after a road accident in 2017, 2,546 had 81 micrograms or more of alcohol in their breath – more than twice the legal limit. In total, an estimated 8,600 people were killed or injured by drink-drivers in 2017, down 5 per cent on 2016.

Safety charity Brake raised concerns about serial offenders, saying more than 5,000 drivers have been caught drink-driving on two or more occasions in the past four years.

The alcohol limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is the highest in Europe, and campaigners including Brake and the RAC have called for it to be lowered.

The limit in Scotland – in line with most other European countries – is 22mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath, 50mg per 100ml of blood, or 67mg per 100ml of urine.

‘Tragic and dangerous’