Drink-drive deaths surge as motorists bank on not being caught

Drink-drive fatalities have increased by a third in Britain in one year, prompting campaigners to claim motorists who are over the limit are willing to risk getting behind the wheel because there are “fewer police patrols”.

There were 220 fatal drink-driving accidents in 2016, according to the latest statistics released by the Department for Transport, up almost 30 per cent on the 170 recorded in 2015, which was the lowest since data was first recorded in 1979. The number of people killed in drink-driving accidents increased from approximately 200 in 2015 to an estimated 230 in 2016.

Meanwhile, the total number of drink-driving casualties hit a low in 2014 with 8,210, but increased to 8,470 in 2015 and 9,040 in 2016. The reduction in drink-driving fatalities and cas- ualties has been a safety success story over the past 40 years but the fact numbers have increased has prompted concerns about police resources.

Jack Cousens, the AA’S head of road policy, said: “There is a perception that there are fewer police patrolling and that the chances of being caught for motoring offences are slim.

“These latest alcohol-related accident figures reinforce that worry. “

An AA Populus survey of 19,500 drivers in December found that 36 per cent thought that there was a low to remote possibility of being caught for drink-driving. “This is bad news for road safety,” said Mr Cousens.

The statistics also revealed men were more than twice as likely to be killed or seriously injured in a drinkdriving accident than women in 2016. There were 1,080 male casualties compared with 400 female casualties.

Brake, the road safety charity, urged the Government to slash the drink drive limit. Joshua Harris, director of campaigns, said: “Today’s figures show that drink-driving is an increasing blight on British roads.”

The drink-driving limit in England and Wales is 80 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of blood and Brake wants it to be cut to 20mg per 100ml of blood.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: “Drink-driving is completely unacceptable. The latest statistics do not show a statistically significant increase in drink-driving deaths.”