drink driving

• 1925- driving while drunk became an offence but ‘drunk’ was not defined in the law and no legal limit was set on how much alcohol drivers could have in their blood. The police and court had to decide whether someone was fit to drive.
• In 1951, 15% of UK households owned a car. By 1971 this has risen to 55%.
• The increase in cars led to more deaths from 5000 in 1950 to 8000 in the 1960s.
• due to public concerns about accident caused by drink driving, the 1967 road safety act introduced a blood alcohol limit of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. It became illegal to drive above this limit.
• in 1968, the first breathalysers we’re introduced for roadside use. This and a major advertising campaign by the government helped to reduce road deaths by over 1,100 and serious injuries by 11,000, the proportion of alcohol related deaths fell from 25% to 15%.
• The penalty for first drink driving offences is now up to 6 months in prison, an unlimited fine and a driving ban for at least one year, with heavier penalties for repeat offenders.
• Deaths from drunk driving have decreased from 1600 in 1979 to 240 in 2019, now about 5% of road casualties involve alcohol.