Since the 1970s, surveys were carried out in the Netherlands to assess the alcohol consumption of car drivers. The figures for driving while intoxicated fell in weekend nights from 4.6% in 2000 to 4.2% in 2001. Due to the number of checks, this may be regarded as a significant reduction. A positive effect of stepping up enforcement is clearly noticeable. In 2001, the percentage of drivers under the influence of alcohol in districts where the special enforcement teams were put in place, was found to have declined that first year by 15%. The figures over the last few years show that the majority of drivers under the influence of alcohol participating in traffic at night during weekends were found to have been visiting a licensed establishment of some kind. Young male car drivers (18-25-year-olds) are a special risk group. The quantity of alcohol consumed, combined with the small amount of driving experience, annually causes approximately 25% of all fatal alcohol-related accidents in the Netherlands. In 2004, drivers with a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) in the 0.2-0.5 parts per thousand range will be in violation of the law if they have held their drivers' licence for less than five years. About 80% of them are between 18 and 25 years old. In 2001, a total of 4.1% of young drivers had a BAC in the aforementioned range (0.2-0.5 parts per thousand). 87% of them are men. For the covering abstract see ITRD E126595.
Samenvatting