Adrian@TORQEN Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 A total of 290 people were killed in drink-drive accidents last year - a quarter up on the previous 12 months. Revealed by the Department for Transport (DfT), the estimated figure compared to 230 in 2011. The 2012 figure - which represented 17% of all road fatalities - was made worse by the fact that the 2011 total was the lowest since records began in 1979. There were 250 drink-drive accidents that resulted in deaths in 2012, compared with 220 in 2011. Overall, the number of accidents involving drink-driving last year was 6,680 - fractionally down on the 2011 figure of 6,690. And the number of people seriously injured in drink-drive accidents also went down, from 1,270 in 2011 to 1,210 in 2012. Minor injuries in drink-drive accidents totalled 8,500 last year - slightly up on the 8,420 figure in 2011. Among those killed in drink-drive accidents, most (68%) were drivers and riders over the legal alcohol limit. The remaining 32% were other road users, involved in the accident but not necessarily over the legal limit themselves. Although the death toll from last year rose significantly, the annual fatality figure has come down considerably since the late 1970s and 1980s when figures of more than 1,400 deaths a year were recorded. The annual death figure hovered around the 530 to 580 mark in the first years of the 21st century before dipping sharply over the period 2007 to 2011. Local Transport Minister Norman Baker said: "Road deaths are thankfully at their lowest since records began in 1926 and the number of drink-drive related deaths has declined overall with 25% in 2012 than in 2009. "These latest figures are provisional, but any road death is one too many and we are absolutely not complacent when it comes to road safety. "That is why we are taking forward a package of measures to streamline enforcement against drink-driving, including approving portable evidential breath-testing equipment which will allow for more effective and efficient enforcement." http://news.sky.com/...ncrease-in-2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian@TORQEN Posted August 1, 2013 Author Share Posted August 1, 2013 One in five motorists 'have driven while on drugs' Nearly one in five motorists has driven under the influence of illegal or prescription drugs, a survey suggests. The study for comparison website Confused.com also indicated that the number of people convicted of drug-driving went down last year. Seven per cent of the 2,000 motorists asked said they had driven under the influence of illegal drugs such as cannabis, cocaine or ecstasy. Ministers are planning new laws next year to crack down on drug-drivers. Medical advice Twelve per cent of those surveyed said they had driven under the influence of drugs prescribed by their doctor. These could include some painkillers or hay fever remedies that can make people drowsy. More than half of those asked admitted that they did not always read the leaflet that comes with the medicine, which often gives advice on whether people should drive. BBC transport correspondent Richard Westcott said the survey was one of several over recent years that suggest drug-driving is a problem. The government said it was getting tough on drug driving, promising that legislation planned for next year would save hundreds of lives and could land thousands of drivers caught under the influence of drugs with a large fine or even a prison sentence. The plans to make it easier to prosecute people who drive under the influence of drugs in England and Wales were unveiled by the government last month. Low limits The proposals would introduce a new offence of driving with a drug in the body, above a certain limit. Ministers said the legislation would remove the difficulty of proving a driver was impaired by drugs, which is the case at the moment. The government proposes including eight illegal drugs - cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine, benzoylecgonine (primary metabolite of cocaine), methamphetamine, LSD and 6-monoacetylmorphine (heroin and diamorphine), for which allowable limits would be set very low. And it is proposing higher limits for eight other controlled drugs that have medical uses. These are clonazepam, diazepam, flunitrazepam, lorazepam, methadone, morphine, oxazepam and temazepam. Police would be able to carry out up to three preliminary saliva tests and, if positive, require a blood sample to be taken. The government is consulting on which drugs should be included and what the limits for each should be. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23543938 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddcboyle Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Shocking reading statistics. Not sure if theres a way to counter drugs and alcohol more than their doing right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgerobertfreeman Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 1 in 5 have driven whilst under the influence of drugs! That seems extremely high to me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Not really. Coffee, Red Bull, prescription drugs, even like Benylin cough syrup would count. Pretty sure we've all driven under the influence if you counted things like that, although I doubt they used caffeine in their stats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Earlier in the year the police had a massive crack down in Cambridgeshire and i worked out the statistics then and it worked out something along the lines of that they stopped 2000 motorists who they "suspected" were drink driving and something like 3 were. I cant remember the exact numbers now but it was a massively small amount along those lines. So in general it seems less and less people are drink driving. It might be that more people are staying in drinking rather than going out, or if the "1 in 5 people drive whilst on drugs" is correct maybe the tipple of choice has switched from a pint of bitter to the crack pipe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddcboyle Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Supposedly the reason your allowed 2units and not just simple, no drink at all, is because judges has a glass of cherry or port after a case, which is 2units and to keep tradition they kept rejecting until it was 2units. To me, I have a pint and already can feel some effects. If you never drink, even 2units is still going to effect you. Personally I think it should be strictly no tolerance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 (edited) The trouble we have now isn't the fact the limits are too high, it's that people simply don't care. How many of these people were caught fractionally over the limit, and how many miles over? I'm willing to be the latter exceeds the former by a significant amount. Amongst many communities in the country it's considered perfectly fine to drink drive, as there's no-one around to hit apart from yourself. Likewise I see many youngsters not giving a toss about this either, and they won't be a little over the limit but a good amount over. People getting caught the day after the night before by a sliver over doesn't bother me, it's the muppets who drink to oblivion but still drive anyway that I'd like to see targetted. Edited August 2, 2013 by Ekona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurtB Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 1 in 5 have driven whilst under the influence of drugs! That seems extremely high to me? Don't worry, I didn't miss your pun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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