Over the past two decades a mixture of improved enforcement, tougher penalties, and a programme of publicity campaigns have significantly reduced the number of drink-drive accidents. However, casualties in drink drive accidents reached their lowest level in 1993 and then began rising again. Estimates for 1997 show the first reversal of this recent trend with a small drop in the number of casualties and provisional estimates for 1998 indicate a further reduction. It is estimated that 550 people died in drink-drive accidents in Great Britain in 1997 and there were about 16,800 casualties of all severities. Provisional estimates for drink drive casualties in 1998 suggest that around 460 people died last year and total casualties amounted to around 15.590; reductions of 17 per cent and 7 per cent respectively on the previous year. However, despite this welcome decrease, drinking and driving remains a serious road safety problem. One in seven people killed on our roads die in a drink-drive accident and around one in 20 of those injured on the road were involved in a drink drive accident. This article examines the subject of drinking and driving by first explaining how a drink-drive accident is defined. It then sets out the alcohol test limits which apply in the United Kingdom. This is followed by a description of the sources of data on drinking and driving and an assessment of the reliability of these data. The characteristics of drink-drive accidents are examined and the article concludes with an analysis of the road user groups involved. (A)
Abstract