Wednesday 2nd July 2008

UK Among Worst For Drink Driving

Drink driving in Britain is among highest in Europe

---

Britain’s motorists are among the worst in Europe for drink driving, it has been reported. A new study shows that Britain has the third highest rate of drink driving with 6% of drivers getting behind the wheel while over the limit.

Britain was topped only by Switzerland, with 6.6%, and Moldova with a whopping 19%, while the average across Europe was in fact just 1.7%. Research by the road policing group Tispol found that 829 drivers tested positive among almost 14,000 breath tests carried out in Britain.

The results came as part of Tispol’s week-long, pan-European study last month. Britain has the second-second highest drink drive limit in Europe and many parts of Britain have seen a reduction in police patrols and an increase in speed cameras.

Tispol president Adam Briggs, who is also the deputy chief constable of North Yorkshire Police, said: 'We are determined to find a way forward to reduce this unacceptable level of hard-core drink drivers and to make the roads safer for everyone. There are a number of possibilities including reducing the legal limit, the introduction of random roadside testing, increasing the penalties or continuing to improve education.'

 

[VladD]

The figures are meaningless. I'm sure that there's a lot more than the nearly 900 people caught who D&D. It depends on how many resources you throw at the problem. As different countries police the roads in different ways then international comparison is pointless.

[Neomagic]

I find this very hard to believe and contradictory to another recent study saying we where one of the better countries.

Either way 6% in 14,000 isn't what id regard as a problem.

Edited by Neomagic on Wednesday 2nd July 11:56

[jennyh]

How many speed cameras do you know that can carry out random roadside breath testing? No one can condone drink driving but this type of survey is utterly pointless, having just returned from a week in rural France I can only assume these people didn't carry out any kind of survey there!!

[julianc]

So how is reducing the legal limit going to help? Am I missing something?

[itiejim]

More meaningless statistics....

This just goes to show that (thankfully) UK Police are better at identifying drink drivers - ie they are targetting people who appear to be under the influence of alcohol as per the legislation around testing.

In many European countries roads policing is far less intelligence led and relies on stop checking vehicles at a check point. This has the effect of being virtually a random check on whether drivers have consumed alcohol rather than here where officers stop drivers because they have cause to believe that they are under the influence (and have committed a road traffic offence or been involved in an accident).

It's daft statistic like this which end up being used to push forward the next "car hating" law around 10mph speed limits and men with red flags walking in front of all vehicles.

Rant over

[TonyHetherington]

I cannot believe that!

Perhaps it's just that, due to such a good campaign against it for say 15yrs, that we're just catching more?!

[DamoLLb]

Neomagic said:

I find this very hard to believe and contradictory to another recent study saying we where one of the better countries.

Either way 6% in 14,000 isn't what id regard as a problem.

Edited by Neomagic on Wednesday 2nd July 11:56

are you joking? you know per cent means out of a hundred right?

[White-Noise]

julianc said:

So how is reducing the legal limit going to help? Am I missing something?

[mattikake]

They missed the fact that UK citizens are the ones who most need drink. We get stomped on every which way by the system and the government. Getting wasted is our only release. Getting behind the wheel is just one poorly judged thought away.

Maybe if they didn't fk us so much we wouldn't feel the need to drown our sorrows so much?

Remember, they created us first...

[havoc]

itiejim said:

More meaningless statistics....

This just goes to show that (thankfully) UK Police are better at identifying drink drivers - ie they are targetting people who appear to be under the influence of alcohol as per the legislation around testing.

In many European countries roads policing is far less intelligence led and relies on stop checking vehicles at a check point. This has the effect of being virtually a random check on whether drivers have consumed alcohol rather than here where officers stop drivers because they have cause to believe that they are under the influence (and have committed a road traffic offence or been involved in an accident).

It's daft statistic like this which end up being used to push forward the next "car hating" law around 10mph speed limits and men with red flags walking in front of all vehicles.

Rant over

Exactly my thoughts and conclusions.

[pistolp]

Havoc i totally agree

we are not the worst for drink driving, we have the most pro active police force with regards any motoring related offence in the world. that inclueds speeding too, which i would wager we are also the worst offenders of statistically too

I reckon statistically britons are not bad when it comes to knife crime compred to other countries. but thats only because they dont know how to cathc that lot.

[Neomagic]

DamoLLb said:

Neomagic said:

I find this very hard to believe and contradictory to another recent study saying we where one of the better countries.

Either way 6% in 14,000 isn't what id regard as a problem.

Edited by Neomagic on Wednesday 2nd July 11:56

are you joking? you know per cent means out of a hundred right?

Yes that's 840 people, hardly shocking.

[Magners P.H]

itiejim said:

More meaningless statistics....

This just goes to show that (thankfully) UK Police are better at identifying drink drivers - ie they are targetting people who appear to be under the influence of alcohol as per the legislation around testing.

In many European countries roads policing is far less intelligence led and relies on stop checking vehicles at a check point. This has the effect of being virtually a random check on whether drivers have consumed alcohol rather than here where officers stop drivers because they have cause to believe that they are under the influence (and have committed a road traffic offence or been involved in an accident).

It's daft statistic like this which end up being used to push forward the next "car hating" law around 10mph speed limits and men with red flags walking in front of all vehicles.

Rant over

Precisely why nobody should believe a statistic at first, your interpretation shows just how flawed the argument/statement is.

Top post

Edited by Magners P.H on Wednesday 2nd July 12:48

Edited by Magners P.H on Wednesday 2nd July 12:50

[RJE1966]

Neomagic said:

DamoLLb said:

Neomagic said:

I find this very hard to believe and contradictory to another recent study saying we where one of the better countries.

Either way 6% in 14,000 isn't what id regard as a problem.

Edited by Neomagic on Wednesday 2nd July 11:56

are you joking? you know per cent means out of a hundred right?

Yes that's 840 people, hardly shocking.

....in one year from how many total journeys?

.....seems a miniscule amount to me.

NB I wonder what number were breathalised in other countries, anyone have a link to the actual figures?

[leaderb]

There's a great quote from somewhere which goes something like: 'there are lies, damn lies, and then there are statistics'. The trouble is that you can bend statistics to say whatever it is you want them to say, and the government are definitely trying to soften up the opposition to a reduction in the drink driving limit. This is just the latest in a series of propaganda bites, and any reduction will achieve nothing apart from putting the final nail into the coffins of the few country pubs that are still managing to survive in this country.

[the_mighty_t]

Well, at least they've got a chance at meeting their targets now... :P

[Jackass]

Isn't the Drink Drive limit in the UK one of the lowest in Europe? I thought Spain allowed almost twice the blood alcohol level (for example).

[Callan.T89]

The stupidest bit of statistic mongering I have ever read.

I was going to point out why but anyone with more brain cell then a labour poilitician can work out why it is complete toss.

[edward1]

They always talk about lowering the limit, I can't see how this will help. If someone is drunk and behind the wheel how will a lower limit change that fact, a bit like all these 50 limits appearing on rural roads, if you break the 60 limit how will a 50 limit change your driving. If you currently have a drink then lowering the limit won't change that.

More pointless stats to be used against the british motorist

[GF350]

VladD said:

The figures are meaningless. I'm sure that there's a lot more than the nearly 900 people caught who D&D. It depends on how many resources you throw at the problem. As different countries police the roads in different ways then international comparison is pointless.

I totally agree, these pointless studies just waste our cash.
I'm guessing this will be used to justify some sort of additional measures to stop more cars for little or no reason and try and extract more fines for other stuff.
I'm not condoning drink driving but I'm really starting to believe that the overall plan is to ban as many motorists as possible to reduce congestion that way.