Pensioners still think they can drink and drive

MORE elderly people are getting caught for drinkdriving because they believe they can still drive safely when drunk.

New figures suggest that pensioners are still getting behind the wheel after a drink – while teenagers are less likely to risk it.

The number of under-19s caught drunk at the wheel has plummeted over 10 years while the number of over65s has risen.

Data from the Ministry of Justice following a Freedom of Information request shows that 1,436 under-19s were caught drink-driving in 2015, compared to 6,744 in 2005. The overall number of convicted drink drivers has fallen from 84,540 in 2005 to 45,970 in 2015.

But pensioners have bucked the trend, with the number of over-65s convicted of the offence rising from 1,295 in 2005 to 1,435 in 2015. However, just three over-65s have been convicted of causing death by careless driving while drunk or under the influence of drugs in the past 10 years.

Accidents involving drivers who had been drinking also fell over the same period, from 10,080 in 2005 to 5,740, according to separate figures from the Department for Transport, with the number of fatal accidents falling from 470 to 180.

Expensive alcohol means young people are less likely to be driving home drunk from bars and clubs, according to a spokesman for the AA. He added that older drivers have a misguided view that they can still drive well after having had a drink.

He said: “It is the minority who flout the law and still pose a high risk. They are called the hard core – a crossover group that includes elderly drink drivers and others from all age groups. Hard-core older drink drivers will have developed bad habits over years, probably got away with it in the past and believe they can still drive safely when half-cut.”