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 and 1998 showed the first reversal of this trend with small drops in the number of casualties. Provisional estimates for 1999 indicate a reduction in fatalities and serious casualties but suggest a rise in casualties overall. It is estimated that 460 people died in drink-drive accidents in Great Britain in 1998 and there were about 15,580 casualties of all severities. Provisional estimates for drink-drive casualties in 1999 suggest that around 420 people died last year and total casualties amounted to around 16,830. One in seven people killed in road accidents in Great Britain still 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 that apply in the United Kingdom, followed by a description of the sources of data used and an assessment of their reliability. The characteristics of drink-drive accidents are also examined and the article concludes with an analysis of the road user groups involved. (A)
Abstract