Peterborough area among the worst offenders for drinking and driving according to new study

There are still hundreds of people killed or injured every year because of drink-related incidents on our roads. HelloSafe has crossed available data and passed Britain’s drink drive casualties numbers under the radar.

Insurance comparison website Hello Safe has compiled a study regions with the best and worst drink drive ratio.

It found that the East of England still saw 890 casualties of drink driving related incidents in the most recent available figures - 2018.

This figure may fall well behind London and the South East in sheer numbers, but in terms of the average number of casualties per 100,000 population, the East of England came third out of 11 regions with a ratio of 14.35.

Unfortunately, the East Midlands holds the sad record of having the worst drink drive ratio of all Great Britain, with an average of 18.11 casualties per 100,000 inhabitants registered in 2018. The region is followed by South East England (16.86 casualties per 100,000 inhabitants).

With 7.36 drink-related drive casualties per 100,000 inhabitants over 2018, Scotland ranks by far as the number 1 region in Great-Britain for the lowest ratio of people injured or killed on the roads due to alcohol.

Hello safe raised the point that this may be the consequence of Scotland reducing in 2014 the legal driving limit from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50. They said: “It is hard to say for sure, although it might have had an impact on drivers.

“Lower tolerance for a lower death ratio on the road could be a serious part of a working policy on that very sensible topic.”

They added: “Despite repeated road safety campaigns over the years, we do not observe, especially in England, a downward curve. We can observe a decrease in the reported number of drink drive casualties in England in both 2013 and 2014 before it goes back to average levels in 2015-2016.

“As concerns 2020, the UK government has announced a three per cent annual rise in the number of drink drive crashes on Great Britain’s roads – despite the fact that roads were almost empty during the three months of lockdown. As HelloSafe reported in a previous study focusing on the car insurance industry’s savings during that period, claims dramatically fell between March and June. However, it seems that the bad habits have gone back strong after the restriction measures were lifted.”

They suggest drivers use a drink drive calculator based on their gender and weight before hitting the road.

Antoine Fruchard, insurance expert and chief executive at Hello-Safe.co.uk said: “Too many Brits still die every year on the roads because of dangerous behaviours that are unfortunately very hard to ban from the British society. However, the case of Scotland brings many hopes, showing that stricter rules can turn into really lower numbers in terms of drink and drive related casualties in comparison with England and Wales.

“Other numbers tend to show that the 16-24 age category accounts for approximatively 24 per cent of the alcohol-related accidents, which makes the young drivers very vulnerable to this. The prevention work that the government has tried to lead over the years must be strengthened in every UK school and university, so that one day we do not have to weep the deaths of our young compatriotes on our roads.”

Cambridgeshire Police issued a reminder over the summer of the dangers of drink driving after nine motorists were arrested for drink driving in Peterborough over one weekend in June.

PC Jon Morris, casualty reduction officer, said at the time: “This is a shocking number, especially considering pubs and restaurants are closed. Even a small amount of alcohol can affect your driving ability.

“There is no excuse for driving whilst under the influence of alcohol as it creates a feeling of overconfidence, makes judging distance and speed more difficult and slows your response reactions.

“Remember, our officers can’t be everywhere but they could be anywhere, so please don’t gamble with your life or your future by driving after consuming alcohol. It’s really not worth the risk.”

Five out of the nine people arrested were charged, two were released under investigation and two were released with no further action.

The force operates a dedicated, confidential hotline for members of the public to report drink or drug driving.

The hotline, 0800 032 0845, is available 24/7 and gives people the chance to supply the police with information to help reduce the number of drink or drug drivers on the county’s roads.

Being caught drink or drug driving could result in a 12-month driving ban, up to six months in prison, a fine of up to £2,500 and a criminal record.

For more information about drink or drug driving, the law and the dangers it can cause, visit www.cambs.police.uk/drinkdrugdriving