Drunk passengers 'can be dangerous'

More than 100,000 accidents a year are caused by drunk passengers, a survey found
12 April 2012

Drunk car passengers can be as dangerous as drivers who drink, according to a new survey.

As many as 76% of car owners have driven drunken passengers home from parties, the poll by insurance company swiftcover.com found.

The survey showed that more than 100,000 accidents and 650,000 near misses a year are caused by drunk passengers.

Inebriated passengers can cause drivers to lose control of their vehicle, swerve or crash, while sometimes the drunks can grapple with the steering wheel or fiddle with the handbrake.

The poll of 1,048 drivers showed that 18% of the drunks in cars had been sick, 43% had sung loudly and 32% had turned the car radio up to excessive volumes.

Robin Reames, claims director at swiftcover.com, said: "We're familiar with drink-driving and the dangers it causes at this time of year, but there is a new danger on the road - the drunk passenger.

"Drivers find it difficult to focus when travelling with drunken passengers and with the difficult weather conditions associated with this time of year, it's important for them to take note and be aware of what they may encounter."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in