Statistical Tables (30)

Statistical Tables

Table 22

Table 22: (a) Estimated number of reported drink drive accidents and (b) Estimated number of reported drink drive casualties

Drink-drive accidents and casualties

Drink-drive estimates: background

1. The Department for Transport (DfT) annually estimates the number of reported drink drive accidents: i.e. those reported injury road accidents involving drivers with illegal alcohol levels (above the current drink-drive limit of 80 milligrams (mg) of alcohol per 100 millilitres (ml) of blood or 35 micrograms per 100ml of breath in England and Wales or 50 milligrams (mg) of alcohol per 100 millilitres (ml) of blood or 22 micrograms per 100ml of breath in Scotland from 05/12/2014). DfT published GB final figures in https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/912948/drink-drive-final-estimates-2018.pdf in August 2020. Scotland estimates are presented in Reported Road Casualties GB Table ras51019 which was updated with 2018 data in September 2020. Because of the uncertainty involved figures are rounded to the nearest ten.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/reported-drinking-and-driving-ras51#T-ras51019

2. The DfT’s publication outlines the estimation methods in detail. It draws on Stats 19 reported road accident data (where motor vehicle drivers or riders failed or refused to provide a sample of breath) and Procurators Fiscal (and Coroners in England and Wales) data on blood alcohol levels of drivers who died within 12 hours of being injured in a road accident. The estimates include allowances for the numbers of cases where drivers or riders are not breath tested due to the accident being a hit and run accident. Drink drive casualties are defined here as any casualties resulting from a drink drive accident.

3. Estimates for 2019 are not yet available because of the timing of the provision of the data regarding blood alcohol levels of fatalities from Procurators Fiscal (and Coroners in England and Wales) to DfT. At this stage the sample of 2019 data is insufficient to allow a breakdown by country.

4. There are no estimates for Scotland of the number of alcohol-related injury road accidents which involve legal alcohol levels (i.e. alcohol levels up to and including the current drink-drive limit of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood), nor are there any estimates for Scotland of the numbers of non-injury (damage only) road accidents involving illegal alcohol levels.

5. The figures here differ from the number of drivers with positive (or refused) breath tests. While the Police aim to breath test all drivers involved in an accident this isn’t always possible (e.g. hit and run drivers or due to severity of casualty). Recently, just under two thirds of motorists involved in injury road accidents in Scotland have been breath tested.

Table 22 Estimated number of reported drink drive accidents and casualties, 2008 to 2018
Number of accidents/casualties
Accidents Casualties
Fatal Serious Slight Total Killed Serious Slight Total
2004-08 Average 30 130 520 690 30 170 790 990
2008 30 140 490 660 40 170 760 960
2009 20 120 520 660 30 160 730 920
2010 20 80 440 530 20 120 610 750
2011 20 70 400 490 20 90 570 680
2014 10 90 340 440 10 100 470 580
2013 10 50 260 330 20 70 360 450
2014 20 50 270 340 20 70 380 460
2015 20 70 250 340 20 90 370 470
2018 30 60 320 410 30 80 460 580
2017 10 60 200 270 10 80 320 410
2018 20 60 210 280 20 70 310 400
2014-18 average 20 60 250 330 20 80 370 460

Note: individual columns may not sum to totals due to rounding.