Nearly 100 motorists per day have been caught drink-driving on average over the past three years, new analysis shows.
Road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, which obtained the data, said the alarming statistics demonstrate the need for ‘a shift in mindset’ as reports last month suggest the Government is plotting to clampdown with stricter drink-driving limits as part of the long-awaiting road safety strategy.
A review of DVLA records found that 108,000 motorists in Britain received drink-drive endorsements on their licence between 2022 and 2024.
That is an average of 99 per day.
Drivers aged 25 to 39 were the worst offenders, with 48,000 caught.
That was followed by those aged 40 to 65 (40,000 caught) and 17 to 24 (15,000 caught).
Just 3,000 drivers older than 65 were convicted of drink-driving during the same period.
The figures were obtained from the DVLA in response to a Freedom of Information request.
IAM RoadSmart estimated that for someone whose job requires them to drive, the potential cost of being caught drink-driving is up to £80,000 based on factors such as lost earnings, legal fees, higher insurance premiums and a fine.
Motorists convicted of drink-driving in the UK usually lose their licence for at least 12 months although offenders may be offered a reduced ban if they complete a rehabilitation course.
They also face a fine and possible imprisonment.
Latest Department for Transport (DfT) figures show an estimated 260 people were killed in crashes on Britain’s roads involving at least one driver over the legal alcohol limit in 2023.
Approximately 1,600 people were seriously injured.
It was reported last month that ministers are considering cutting the drink-drive limit in England and Wales as part of a road safety strategy this autumn.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander may almost halve the limit from 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath to 22 micrograms.
This would be in line with Scotland – which cut its drink-drive limit in 2014 – and the rest of Europe, where no other country has a limit as high as that in England and Wales.
Exclusive data shared with the Daily Mail earlier this year shows the highest reading for someone convicted of drink driving in the last decade was recorded last July, when a 39-year-old male registered a reading of 513mg/dL (milligrams per decilitre).
That is six-and-a-half times over the legal limit and the equivalent of a 13-stone male consuming 22 pints of beer, which is considered ‘potentially fatal’.
Medical experts at Kansas State University concluded that readings higher than 400mg/dL can ‘depress respiration to the point where it’s not sufficient to sustain life’, while those above 450mg/dL are ‘often associated with coma and death’.
IAM RoadSmart director of policy and standards Nicholas Lyes said: ‘Drink-driving is a dangerously reckless act that puts other people’s lives at risk.
‘The fact that there were 1,860 killed or seriously injured in a drink-drive related collision in 2023 – the equivalent of five people a day – should be sufficient deterrent.
‘But for some, the consequences might only dawn on them when they realise the wider cost.
‘We hope that by calculating the potential cost to the individual, would-be law breakers will at the very least consider the impact on themselves and think twice before getting behind the wheel after a drink; it could end up being a very expensive pint if it puts you over the drink-drive limit.
‘What we need is a shift in mindset. Lowering the limit and boosting enforcement would help send the message that having none for the road is best.’
A DfT spokesperson said: ‘We want all road users to travel safely, and there are already strict penalties in place for those who are caught drink-driving.
‘We are committed to improving road safety, and our well-established Think! campaign is designed to reduce the number of those killed and injured on our roads, particularly targeting young men.
‘Road safety measures have not been reviewed for over a decade, and we will set out the next steps for our strategy for road safety in due course.’
The road safety strategy could also force drivers older than 70 to take eye tests every three years and could be banned if they fail them.
The government’s plans are expected to be published this autumn, with some insiders suggesting that the motoring shake-up could be as drastic as those brought in by Sir Tony Blair in 2008, when he announced the Road Safety Act.
It could bring stricter punishments for uninsured drivers as well as motorists whose passengers fail to wear a seatbelt, if they already have points on their licence.
There could also be tests for medical conditions like dementia introduced to assess a person’s fitness to drive.
