Road crashes involving drink-drivers jump by 4 per cent in a year

The number of drink-drive accidents rose by 200 in 2018
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The number of drink-drive crashes on Britain’s roads has jumped by four per cent, the latest figures show.

An estimated 5,900 crashes involved at least one driver over the alcohol limit in 2018 - 200 more than during the previous 12 months, the Department for Transport (DfT) reported.

This means around one in 20 of all reported crashes involved a drunken driver, with around 240 people killed in these accidents.

The final drink-drive casualty figures for 2018 will be published in August.

The Scottish Government reduced the alcohol limit for drivers from 80 milligrammes (mg) per 100 millilitres of blood to 50mg in December 2014, but the legal level in the rest of the UK remains 80mg.

“With thousands of people still being killed and injured at the hands of drink-drivers every year and little sign of this situation improving, decisive action needs to be taken,” said Josh Harris, director of campaigns for road safety charity Brake.

“We’re calling on the Government to lower the limit and implement an effective zero-tolerance on drink-driving, making clear to drivers that when you’re behind the wheel, not a drop of alcohol is safe.

“We need to change the culture around drink-driving and that starts with changing a limit which gives a false impression that it is acceptable to mix alcohol and driving – this couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Even very small amounts of alcohol dramatically affect your ability to drive safely and the law should reflect this reality.”

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